L.A. City Council Passes Billboard Ban

It looks like the L.A. City Council is trying to get its arms around the billboard blight that is so pervasive in parts of that city. They will find it tough going. The opposition is well funded and politically well connected. Over the years, state and federal laws have been skewed in favor of the outdoor advertising interests and against advocates of local control. The city of Agoura Hills banned new billboards twenty years ago, but several existing ones remain to this day.

Billboards and huge pole signs are among the most obnoxious forms of advertising. TV and radio ads can be turned off. Newspaper, magazine ads and mailers can all be ignored or quickly dismissed to the recycle bin. Even pop ups on the internet, annoying as they are, can be clicked off or avoided. Not so with mammoth signs. They intrude on our views with no recourse. The equivalent in sound would be a TV commercial with the volume turned all the way up that can't be turned off.

Cities should have local control over this type of signage. Some cities, maybe Las Vegas, may actually want them. Perhaps there are billboards that are actually attractive or perform an important public service. I will concede that possibility. But the value of these mammoth signs, their placement or restriction should be in the hands of the local authorities whose constituents are most directly affected by them. I wish the L.A. City Council success in getting control over the appearance of their great city.