Letters to the Editor: Are palm trees a tired cliché or monuments to L.A.’s culture?

Readers debate whether 77 newly planted palm trees near LACMA represent meaningful cultural symbols or impractical choices during a time of climate concerns.

The controversy highlights tensions between landscape aesthetics and environmental needs as temperatures rise and rainfall decreases in the region.

Some defend palms’ sculptural qualities and bird habitats, while others call them “tired clichés” that ignore practical shade needs.

To the editor : It would be unfair to compare a palm tree’s shading capabilities to an Indian laurel fig or a Coast live oak ( “L.A. desperately needs more shade. So why were 77 palm trees planted near LACMA?,” Sept. 4). It’s a false paradigm, like asking how many touchdown passes Clayton Kershaw has thrown or how many home runs Shaquille O’Neal has h