Los Angeles Taking Further Measures to Curtail Outdoor Advertising

We wrote last month about the city of Los Angeles winning a court appeal to uphold their ban on new billboards but despite the legislation, many advertisers continue to try and skirt the wording of the law by putting up supergraphics signs instead.  Supergraphics are essentially enormous advertisements made mostly out of vinyl that are unfurled and strung over multistory buildings. If any form of advertising can claim to be more obtrusive than a billboard then this might be it. The images which can be bigger than the largest billboards often lie across the face of buildings which can cover windows, effectively blocking sunlight light and eliminating views for those tenants that are unlucky enough to find themselves living or working behind these ads.

Since the injunction, more of these monstrosities have been illegally popping up and given the relative ease of installation – often in the middle of the night. According to figures provided by the NY Times, more than 100 buildings carry these signs, which could bring upwards of $100,000 in monthly revenue for owners, whereas current maximum fines of $2,500 are hardly a deterrent. While the city is renewing its efforts to bring these advertisements down under the guise that they’re fire hazards, without quicker escalation – protocol seems to warrant a series of warnings before serious action can be taken – and stiffer penalties, this appears to be an uphill to say the least.   

NY Times: Los Angeles Steps Up Fight on Large Ads