A Bunch Of Artists Designed Posters Explaining Why Measure S Sucks

Remember that Terrible NIMBY Ballot Measure™ that we keep talking about? The one that positions itself as being about preserving L.A. from the dangers of overdevelopment, but would actually freeze almost all major development in the city, right when L.A. desperately needs to construct more housing? Yes, we mean Measure S (formerly known as the "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative").

As the calendar races toward the March 7 primary, your friends and neighbors are hopefully talking about the races at hand, and getting ready to fill out their ballots. Part of what makes Measure S so scary is that it's confusing AF, making it hard for the average Angeleno to discern exactly what the ballot measure's passing would mean for them (spoiler alert: nothing good!). We went into the nitty gritty of the urban planning woes Measure S seeks to address, and why the so-called solution it offers would be very bad news here.

So how do No on S activists get people mobilized about an issue as complicated and unsexy as zoning? It takes a bit of creativity, for one.

The good folks at de LaB, a design-centered non profit, thought that making a series of "No on S, Yes on LA" designs could add a visual and storytelling element to a campaign about planning issues, and hopefully also reach beyond the city’s base of likely voters (who tend to be older, affluent homeowners) to inspire younger citizens. "All the language around [Measure S] is so wonky and urban planner-y, so we wanted designers to help tell a more emotional, resonant story about how Measure S would stop all the great progress that L.A. is making," Alissa Walker, one of the founders of de LaB, told LAist.

Walker said that she had been discussing ways to get the word out about S with designer Colleen Corcoran (who designed the show’s main graphic), "when Ava Bromberg and Mark Vallianatos reached out to us from LAplus, a new civic organization created to inspire and advance LA’s positive urban future that’s a project of Community Partners," Walker explained. "We’d all worked together on a lot of events and initiatives before around housing, community spaces, walkability, and transportation. This was right when the Yes on S billboards started to go up on every single corner and I think we were all a bit frustrated—the opposition to Measure S was mostly about how it would hurt jobs and housing but there wasn’t enough out there about this accessible, inclusive, sustainable vision for the city that you’re voting for when you vote no on S."

The group held an open call for submissions for poster designs, a selection of which will be displayed at a pop-up exhibition at the A+D Museum next week. Check out the images above to see how different artists and designers interpreted the dangers of Measure S.

"Explaining what Measure S would do to L.A. in very simple, easy-to-understand terms was also important to us, and something that these posters do really well," Walker said.

No on S, Yes on LA will open their pop-up exhibition with an event at the A+D Museum on Tuesday, February 28 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Visitors can view the posters, pick up postcards and lawn signs, and find out how they can get involved.

"We really want people to come to Tuesday's event, or drop by A+D anytime through the election to see the show, but also to know that these images are for all of L.A. to use—pick one that speaks to you, turn it into your avatar, spread the word, talk to your neighbors, and help everyone understand that saying no to S is saying yes to L.A.," Walker said.

The A+D Museum is located at 900 East 4th Street in the Arts District. The pop-up exhibition will be up at the A+D Museum from February 28 to March 8, including the March 1 event The Politics of Housing: Measure S and the Future of Growth in Los Angeles hosted by Christopher Hawthorne as part of his Third LA project.