The Los Angeles Planning Commission is reviewing options to potentially alter Los Angeles’ billboard regulations and has been asked to report back in approximately 60 days to the Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Land Use committee (PLUM).

Digital billboards outside of sign districts are among the issues being considered. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The PLUM committee has been considering changes to the city’s sign ordinance for more than five years to make the ordinance more resilient to lawsuits, to address billboards that have been erected without permits, and potentially allow some digital billboards outside of sign districts. The PLUM committee on June 30 sent back two proposals prepared by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, asking to merge the two proposals into one before returning the recommendations to the PLUM committee, according to city planner Deborah Kahan.

The two versions that were presented to the PLUM committee address potential takedown ratios, in which the city may allow companies to take down an undetermined number of static billboards and replace them with a smaller number of digital billboards; and the potential of allowing for a conditional use permitting process for digital billboards outside of sign districts.

Kahan said the PLUM Committee as a whole initiated the request for changes, as opposed to a singular council member or department. Once the planning commission has reviewed the recommendations, they will be reviewed by the PLUM committee prior to being sent to the full city council.

One of the issues being considered by the planning commission is granting “amnesty” to unpermitted billboards in the city. No official number of unpermitted billboards is available, but it is estimated to be approximately 930, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer stated in a letter sent to the city council on June 26 that he believes the city can force companies to take down un-permitted billboards, and recommended against providing amnesty.

Representatives for Los Angeles City Councilmen David Ryu, 4th District, and Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District, said the councilmen are monitoring what the planning commission and PLUM committee recommends with billboards. Councilman Paul Koretz, 5th District, was blunt in his assessment, stating that he is opposed to allowing any additional digital billboards in the city, and that he would need to carefully consider any proposals to alter the city’s sign regulations.

Stacy Miller, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Advertising Coalition, said the billboard companies hope the city council will consider changes to the ordinance. The coalition represents the major outdoor advertising companies in the city, including Clear Channel Outdoor, Lamar Advertising and Outfront Media, which was formerly CBS Outdoor.

“They have 95 percent of the billboards in Los Angeles,” Miller said. “There are only a couple of digital billboards still up in the city. It’s been going through the process for many years. We are looking for a CUP (conditional use permit) process.”

Miller added that billboard companies are willing to take down significant numbers of static billboards in exchange for a smaller number of digital billboards, however the number has not been determined. She added that the hope is to keep the number of digital billboards low, and where they would be allowed could be determined on a case-by-case basis in different council districts.

“Our neighbors can determine our fate as it pertains to digital billboards,” Miller added. “Each council district could have a say about what’s best for them.”