Sue Doyle and Rick Orlov
Two Los Angeles City Council members proposed an ordinance recently that calls on outdoor advertising companies to voluntarily remove their signs?a welcome plea for critics who say the city is saturated with 8,000 billboards that contribute to urban blight.
The proposal doesn?t just rely on the good hearts of outdoor advertisers, who have shown little regard for city billboard ordinances in the past.
The reward for removing older, traditional billboards is that the companies would be allowed to erect a limited number of more lucrative digital signs in their place.
The proposal, introduced by Councilman Richard Alarcn and supported by Tony Cardenas, could remove thousands of existing billboards that were approved under terms drafted by previous city councils. If approved, it would be included in the billboard ordinance now being drafted by the city.
Alarcn said the billboard ordinance now under consideration does nothing to eliminate signs blighting areas today. ?My proposal is a win-win-win, reducing billboard blight in our communities, creating good-paying jobs and bringing in much-needed, ongoing revenue to our city coffers,? Alarcn said.
Under Alarcn?s plan, the new billboards would go up in pre-designated areas, such as city-owned property.
?This is a perfect opportunity to reach back in time and do something for the future,? Cardenas said.
The yellow sign is one of 4,000 owned by Lamar, the largest billboard operator in LA, which has proposed removing 3,500 billboards if Alarcn?s proposal is implemented. Gary Toebben, president of the LA Area Chamber of Commerce, said Alarcn?s proposal would allow companies to continue to use outdoor advertising to promote their products and services.