LA officials are investigating NBC Universal for trimming trees that provided shade to striking writers and actors

• A row of trimmed trees has become a new flash point in the Hollywood writers' and actors' strike.
• NBC Universal cut back the trees that had provided shade to picketers outside its Los Angeles site.
• It said it was routine maintenance, but an LA official said he's now looking into the matter.

A Los Angeles official is investigating why NBC Universal trimmed shade-providing trees outside a site being picketed as part of the Hollywood actors' and writers' strike.

Municipal tree management is at the center of the latest chapter in the strike called by the Writers Guild of America several weeks ago and joined by SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, last Friday.

NBC Universal drastically cut back ficus trees that shade the sidewalk outside its studios this week. 

Supporters of the strike have suggested the move was intended to impede their ability to protest at the site, given temperatures in some parts of the city soared to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the LA Times. 

A picture of the trees tweeted by sketch writer and comedian Chris Stevens on Monday was widely shared and has been viewed more than five million times. 

"Quick shoutout to the good people at @UniversalPics for trimming the trees that gave our picket line shade right before a 90+ degree week," he wrote. 

NBC Universal did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but in a statement provided to the LA Times it said the tree-trimming was routine work and not intended to impede the picketing.

"In partnership with licensed arborists, we have pruned these trees annually at this time of year to ensure that the canopies are light ahead of the high wind season," the statement said, adding: "We support the WGA and SAG's right to demonstrate, and are working to provide some shade coverage."

But the matter has quickly become a flash point related to allegations of strike-busting.

In an apparent reaction to the furore, LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who has strong progressive leanings, tweeted that he would be investigating.

"The trimmed trees are LA City managed street trees," he wrote on Tuesday, posting before-and-after images of the trees.

At the time of publication, it is unclear whether the company has the authority to cut the trees, though LA-based journalist Nicholas Slayton tweeted that LA's Department of Public Works Bureau of Street Services said it had not issued any permits to do so.

The dispute comes amid separate allegations about barriers at the site, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

On Tuesday, the WGA filed a complaint against NBC Universal to the National Labor Relations Board, saying construction work was obstructing an area of sidewalk outside the studio.

NBC Universal's refusal to provide barriers around the area has forced protesters "to patrol in busy streets with significant car traffic where two picketers have already been struck by a car," the complaint said, per the Hollywood Reporter. 

In a statement provided to the outlet, NBC Universal pushed back, saying it believed it had fulfilled its obligations and will look into any issues raised by the board.