Preservation bid for marquee site lags

LOS ANGELES — It’s a Hollywood cliffhanger, in more ways than one.

The Trust for Public Land said yesterday that it is about $3 million short of the $12.5 million it needs to buy and preserve hilltop property beside the world-famous Hollywood sign. The purchase option expires April 14.

The group said nearly all the major television and movie studios are among the contributors to the roughly $9.5 million it has raised through donations and government grants.