Opinion: Policing illegal billboards
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Yeah, that sure was some Happy New Year story.
My colleague David Zahniser’s story in the January 1 paper was headlined, ‘’Banned Outdoor Signs Sprout in L.A.’’
A day after a city ban on new outdoor signs, he wrote, some crane operator and other workers were out there brazenly putting up another, one of those plasticized signs that cover most of the side of a building.
Bless the Westwood South of Santa Monica Homeowners Association. Members went out there and demanded that one of the workers hand over his permit for it. He said nothing. So the locals kept taking pictures of the operation.
The sign companies have carroted-and-sticked the city for years, spending sacks of dough on lobbying and campaign contributions, and legally bullying and cowing LA into what is now runaway billboard abuse, the latest being those ghastly lighted digital billboards -- intrusive, offensive, and getting unavoidable. If I wanted to live in a light box, I’d move to Times Square. No matter how rich you are in Manhattan, you can’t buy real quiet -- or real dark. I’d say it would be a nightmare for that to happen in LA, but if it did, no one could get a decent night’s sleep, much less have a nightmare.
There’s a risk that the city’s evident powerlessness could nudge a few justifiably outraged locals to vigilantism -- chopping down billboards, tearing down plastic signs. Can you imagine the city prosecuting one of these citizens after it’s already gone all spineless on the scofflaw sign companies for so long? I think I’d contribute to that resident’s defense fund.
Sign companies must know that it’s the perfect time to extend a middle finger to the city’s ban. Lousy budgets mean that the city can’t afford to do much to ramp up enforcement.
The Times’ New Year’s Day story says that building inspectors are investigating. Oooh, building inspectors. My knees are knockin’ with fear.
In truth, I’m pleased that they’re out there on the job but they don’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of a multi-million-dollar industry that can write checks for fines more easily than you and I can pay parking tickets.
So how about we put some teeth in this? How about making these illegal signs an actual criminal offense? It won’t be building inspectors with hardhats and clipboards showing up to police illegal signs -- it’ll be cops with badges and guns. What crane operator will take the rap for the Big Boss then?
Chief Bill Bratton’s done wonders with the crime rate, and is a big believer in the ‘’broken windows’’ theory of law enforcement. Why not criminalize this quality-of-life offense and turn the Thin Blue Line loose on the Big Ugly Signs?