L.A. to take inventory of billboards

The City Council on Friday approved an ordinance that will allow the city to inspect and take inventory of the thousands of billboards in Los Angeles, which officials said will pinpoint illegal signs and be the first step in curtailing their proliferation.

The council in 2002 approved a similar inspection program that two of the largest billboard companies in the city, Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor, challenged in court in part as an infringement on their 1st Amendment rights.

In 2006, they reached a settlement with the city that allowed 840 of their billboards to be upgraded to digital displays. City officials are confident the new inspection ordinance will hold up if challenged. The ordinance was approved by the council 11-0.

The council also is considering a series of other billboard regulations, including a six-month moratorium on new billboards to allow the council time to replace the outdoor advertising restrictions currently in place.

--Phil Willon

Comments

[Ruby Jackson]

For every digital billboard that is allowed to go up in a neighborhood, a corresponding number of static billboards should come down. It's a win-win for both sides... the advertising agencies get to bombard us with more advertising per second on the digital billboards, and we get a better landscape with less clutter.