ENCINO : Distraught Neighbors Watch as Oak Is Cut Down

As teary-eyed neighbors looked on, a centuries-old oak tree was chain-sawed to the ground in less than two hours Tuesday, ending a battle between residents who say the tree was healthy and city officials who maintain it was sick and posed a threat to the public.

“I feel like I’m at a funeral right now,” said Paula Molino, whose condominium overlooked the towering oak that stood in the rear parking lot of Encino Town Center mall.

“All the Indians buried under this ground are just turning in their graves,” Molino said, wiping tears from her eyes. “It was a big, beautiful, healthy tree.”

The city Board of Public Works approved the removal of the oak last week after several tree experts said it was “in poor and declining health,” and the city attorney said the city could be held liable for damages if it fell.