Group seeks to remove 'Titmouse Park' sign

LOS ANGELES, April 29 (UPI) -- Environmentalists are attempting to have a sign reading "Titmouse Park" removed from Los Angeles' Ballona Wetlands area, saying the sign insults women.

Ballona Institute organizers said they are working to petition city leaders to have the sign removed and the park renamed after a native animal, plant or landmark, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Environmentalist Roy van de Hoek said the park was not named after titmouse birds, which are not native to the area. Rather, the name was chosen as an insult to a group of women who blocked local businessmen from turning the area into a parking lot 20 years ago.

Van de Hoek said he had a conversation about 18 months ago with a businessman who claimed to have participated in the naming.

"He said the name came about because he and his buddies were playing a joke on the women," he said. "It was a reference to a woman's body part. He was chuckling and laughing."

However, retired sign painter Bud Harris said he painted the park sign, naming the area after a group of mice he encountered that he mistakenly thought were titmice.