City Council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield introduced a motion aimed at cracking down on illegal street-facing advertisements, it was announced Wednesday.
If approved by the City Council, the motion would direct the City Attorney’s Office, and the departments of city planning, and building and safety, to draft an ordinance to enhance enforcement, close so-called loopholes and protect the public right-of-way from such unpermitted ads.
The motion will first be heard by the Planning and Land Use Management Committee before being considered by the City Council.
The council members proposed a framework for the ordinance that involves the following:
— Require outdoor advertising operators to register with the city and submit a sworn inventory of all street-facing ads;
— Establish steep daily fines of up to $50,000 per day for illegal digital signage, which is similar to a policy established in New York City;
— Hold property owners and parent companies accountable when shell entities rack up violations; and
— Declare illegal street-facing ads a public nuisance, allowing faster removal and recovery of costs through liens.
The motion would also look to amend the city’s temporary construction wall sign rules, which the council members say have been widely exploited to allow advertising on vacant properties with little or no real development activity.
The council members proposed to repeal and replace the existing ordinance to improve oversight, require revenue-sharing with the city, and discourage continued vacancies that contribute to blight and safety concerns.
Illegal ads can look like unpermitted digital billboards, a massive wall of ads, construction wall ads, mobile billboards, rooftop structures and window displays.
For years, ad operators have ignored city penalties because the “system makes it too easy to profit without consequences,” according to the motion.
“In the absence of a real, funded enforcement system, rogue advertising companies have done whatever they think they can get away with,” Yaroslavsky said in a statement.
In Yaroslavsky’s Fifth District, encompassing West Los Angeles communities, the councilwoman reported seeing entire buildings wrapped in ads. Additionally, she reported that there are vacant lots that stay vacant because selling ad space is more profitable than building housing.
When ads rotate, torn posters are left on the street, according to Yaroslavsky.
“Our public right-of-way is being treated like free commercial ad space and a landfill. If companies want to advertise to Angelenos, the city and our neighborhoods should benefit,” Yaroslavsky said in her statement.
The issue of unpermitted ads across the city has exacerbated as the city prepares to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games. The council members argue that without stronger enforcement tools, more illegal ad operators will continue to expand.