Results tagged “billboard”

In the process to make L.A. Live a reality, AEG has been going through the city for permits and approvals for eight years. Now with a moratorium on billboards upheld by a judge, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is fighting the installation of six digital billboards at the new 14-screen Regal Cinemas theatre, set to open on Wednesday. Today, the LA Times editorial board chimes in on the issue:

The first National League playoff game has just begun and while tens of thousands of eyeballs are glued to the game right now, there are plenty who are not. Maybe they don't care or maybe they are waiting to watch it on Tivo at home. And if you're part of the latter group, some digital billboards might ruin it all for you.

       

Signage on buildings and along thoroughfares has evolved, as has the move to prohibit them in recent months. But the origin of the roof sign in Los Angeles reflects one aspect of our rich local history that runs the risk of being elbowed out by the more bully-like presence of neon-lit ads that now top buildings all over the city.

Thinking of purchasing a car? Your options remain plentiful, and deals are readily available as the auto industry is eager to make sales in these rough economic times. But if you happened to be headed to Universal City Nissan, a sign on the hill above the dealership might have you thinking twice about your decision to go with the import.

For the most part, new supergraphics and billboards are illegal under a moratorium passed last December (there are a handful of locations grandfathered in, though). We're not sure if this bold new supergraphic at (check out an old supergraphic in streetview) is one of the illegal ones or not, but this looks like a new step into the future of them. That 3D cup of frozen joe (or whatever it is) on that fake brick is described as huge by LAist contributor Tim Hammer who noticed it while driving. What's next? Digital supergraphics?

Too bad Manny is suspended. Blogdowntown reports that despite a moratorium on supergraphics, new "Mannywood" advertisements have appeared on the sides of buildings on Flower and Figueroa in the past two weeks. Funny thing is, the billboard moratorium was just extended yesterday until June 24th. (Photo: Eric Richardson)

It's only a minor loss in the ever-growing billboard problem in Los Angeles. A judge placed an injunction on the city prohibiting them from taking action against SkyTag's 18 unpermitted supergraphics saying they had proof they were up before the December moratorium. While Los Angeles has its problems, New Yorkers are taking illegal billboards into their own hands. Check out the photo to the right, it's just one of many from the recent "Public Ad Campaign."

Put up an illegal billboard in New York City and officials will keep fining you, even if the price sours to nearly a million dollars. "We will not tolerate any individuals or companies who disregard the law to make a profit," a department spokesman told the New York Daily News. In Los Angeles, it's a different world. Try to regulate them and you'll be stuck in court for years and years.

Will it or won't it help the billboard blight problem in Los Angeles? Well, the majority of the Planning commission believes it will help. "On a 6-3 vote, the commission forwarded the new sign ordinance to the City Council, which hopes to vote on it by June, when a sign moratorium is set to expire," reported the LA Times. "The three opponents of the measure were commissioners Michael Woo, Cindy Montanez and Father Spencer Kezios. Last week, all three voiced dismay that the plan provided too many exceptions for new signs. Outdoor advertising companies have used such exceptions to strike down the city’s 2002 billboard ban in court."

By Mark Dolley, Special to LAist

At a hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins found the city in contempt for enforcing a supergraphic moratorium on World Wide Rush, the one company allowed to hang supergraphics in specific locations under an injunction. "Collins chastised the city for refusing to allow World Wide Rush to even apply for permits and then citing the company for not having them, specifically referring to two locations, one in Westwood and the other near the Miracle Mile," the LA Times reported.

Billboard blight activist Dennis Hathaway has combed through the proposed sign ordinance released last week (download a copy here) and has found a bit of everything reflecting the good and the bad. There's lots of good, but if you're against sign districts--think Hollywood & Highland, a major commercial district in the city--then Hathaway sees a problem:

Yesterday. the City Council extended a three-month moratorium on new supergraphics and digital billboards for an additional 45 days. "The ICO [Interim Control Ordinance] will expire on March 26, 2009, but the legislative process to approve changes to the City’s sign ordinances may not be completed by March 26. If the ICO is allowed to lapse for even one day, a flurry of illegal signs could be installed and be nearly impossible to remove later," stressed a statement from Councilman Jack Weiss' office. This comes as both the Daily News and a follow up from the LA Times attracts attention to chopped down trees on Caltrans property along the 405 freeway near new supergraphics on the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Also: After LAist's ran this story, CBS took down their Dr. Phil supergraphic.

Even though the city has given the CIM Group over $28 million in financial aid for the past few years for redevelopment projects, they are allowing illegal supergraphics and billboards on their properties in Hollywood. The city agreed last year to let them have three supergraphics--currently there are six. Additionally, the agreement included taking down two billboards that are still up.

To the astonishment of building tenants and just about everyone else, an illegal supergraphic went up last week on the same building that was used by the city as an example of the verboten advertisements. In late January, the building at National and Westwood Boulevard--then with a Tropicana supergraphic--was used as a press conference backdrop to talk about fire department safety concerns and how the city is looking to have stricter penalties.

Westfield is looking to do a 235,000 square foot expansion of their Sherman Oaks Fashion Square location, bringing back some of the outdoor promenade open air feel it had before the 1994 earthquake. It's been in an extensive community process for over three years with Westfield and neighbors working together, of course, not always agreeing together. After all, this is a regional mall smack dab in the middle of a single family home community.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo today filed criminal charges against a billboard company and building owners over an illegal sign next to the 10 Freeway. Keep in mind, this is two days after the city held a press conference under the same exact sign saying they were revving up to fight if these don't come down.

     

"Why haven't we heard a single word from Mayor Villaraigosa about protecting building tenants and the public from this appropriation of the city's visual landscape for commercial advertising?" That's Dennis Hathaway of BanBillboardBlight.org, an advocacy site that keeps current on the Los Angeles' billboard problems. Hathaway is referring to an LA Times editorial today that calls out Villaraigosa.

"The billboard industry is like a creature in a science fiction movie that expands to fill any space that you make for it, and then asks, 'Have I got your attention yet?' Yes, the city believes it is fighting 'Swamp Thing.' An extremely wealthy Swamp Thing." That's City Planning Commissioner Michael Woo, as quoted by Curbed LA, at today's billboard press conference dealing with new legislation that proposes to place a two-year moratorium on digital billboards until safety studies come out. As usual, lawsuits from the billboard industry are expected to be filed against such an action. (Photo of digital billboard via Ban Billboard Blight)

Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-West Hollywood) has introduced a moratorium bill that would apply to 877 billboards approved to be converted to digital. "The new law would also prohibit advertising on official changeable message signs, which convey information to motorists about Amber Alerts, traffic conditions, and emergencies," a statement from his office said today. If passed, the legislation will halt the construction and conversion of digital displays for three years, enough time for policymakers to review pending safety studies and potential hazards from the electronic type of ads.

After becoming "roadkill" to lawsuits over the past seven years, Los Angeles finally got the upper hand in battling billboard blight (we have thousands of illegal ones) when the 9th Circuit Court yesterday sided with Los Angeles against a billboard company.

In a ruling that surely is making neighborhood activists rejoice, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals "ruled that Los Angeles’ 2002 citywide outdoor advertising ban did not violate a sign company's 1st Amendment right to free speech." This means the city, which attempted to regulate the thousands of blightful billboards seven years ago before being hit with a barrage of lawsuits, can now go do that with more confidence.

Along with a moratorium on foreclosure-related evictions, the LA City Council yesterday also passed a three-month moratorium banning any new signs (billboards, supergraphics and the conversation to digital billboards) for three months while the City Attorney and Planning Department draft permanent changes to the City’s sign ordinance to better regulate advertising in the City.

Billboard, meet Bikepath.

Long Beach Councilmember Suja Lowenthal and the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency celebrated today over the removal of this blight along one of the City's main corridors.

A billboard in Rancho Cucamonga asking viewers to "imagine no religion" was taken down this week after residents and the city complained about its message. The Freedom From Religion Foundation advertisement was first installed last week causing local conversation and complaints. The pressure quickly built up and the General Outdoor sign company took it down.

  

The first of the 22 off-site projects at the 2008 California Biennial were installed last week on billboards around town, compliments of LAXART Public Art Initiatives and ForYourArt.

One thing that stuck out from Obama's Election-night speech Tuesday was his promise to his two young daughters that they could get the puppy they've wanted for so long when they moved to the White House. Yesterday, Obama gave his first post-Election press conference, and was asked what kind of dog the Obama family had in mind. He explained that they were hoping to get a dog from a shelter, but that one of his daughter's allergy to dander meant they'd need to get a dog who was hypo-allergenic.

  

That was fast. I guess this proves that billboards and a massive, massive, massive amount of flyers put around the neighborhood can get your dog back. For background on Hedkayce (that's the dog's name), check out yesterday's story.