Crackdown on bandit signs

Officials are beginning to crack down on all those small signs advertising weight loss, cell phones and mortgages in the sides of freeways. The Daily News reports this action in Santa Clarita:

Need a chimney sweep, a paternity test or credit repair? It might get a little harder to find such businesses as Santa Clarita clamps down on illegal signs along its manicured roadways. Last week, the City Council hiked fines for placing the "bandit" signs in median strips, on utility poles, next to freeway ramps and elsewhere in public rights of way. The fine will jump from $50 to $250 for a first violation and from $100 to $1,000 for a second violation within one year. "Bandit signs are worse than litter. It's as bad as graffiti," said Councilman TimBen Boydston, who said he has removed 250 signs over a two-month period.