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What if the City Allowed Ads to Go Up In Parks and the Zoo So LA Could Make Some Money?
Could we soon see advertising signage in our parks? (Photo of North Hollywood Park with mock signs by Lindsay William-Ross/LAist)
Los Angeles is broke, and officials are trying to get creative to find ways to bring in some revenue. The latest scheme, touted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his team, is to allow advertising in city parks and the L.A. Zoo. Yesterday, Brian Currey, a lawyer from the mayor's office, went before the City Council at the Planning and Land Use Committee meeting to urge the adoption of an ordinance to allow those signs to go up, reports the Daily News.
Villaraigosa's position, as presented by Curry is that the city should "not rule out any options," when it comes to getting cash in the coffers.
So with large signs being banned from buildings, murals designated as advertising and forced down, now we are looking to put ads in the few refuges of greenspace and nature? Not everyone is keen on the proposed ordinance, including Barry Johnson, a member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council, who compared the signs in parks plan to prostituting his home to make a buck in hard times.
What kinds of ads would be allowed? The emphasis is on ensuring the city had approval of all the ad campaigns, insist supporters. For example, if McDonald's wanted to do a campaign, it would have to tie into something "altruistic," like getting kids to eat better or be more active. But can the city have such case-by-case approval?
The sign ordinance, which would create new sign districts and allow advertising in parks and at the Zoo, is in the draft stage, which is expected to take three months to complete.
Would you be okay with seeing advertising in our parks if it meant money for the city?
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