As expected, new digital billboards have been banned in Los Angeles.
Friday night the city council unanimously approved a measure banning new digital billboards and supergraphics, ads that cover at least one side of a building, the aim being to head off a flurry of applications for new signage while an earlier temporary ban faces a federal court challenge.
Liberty Media Group is fighting a temporary ban LA issued in December.
The aim of that ban was to give the city council time to draft a permanent ordinance that would greatly restrict digital signage and supergraphics in Los Angeles and written in a way to withstand court challenges by out-of-home vendors.
The decision to pass the permanent ban on Friday was prompted by concerns that the court might knock down the temporary ban at a hearing later this month when the council will be in recess, which would then unleash a flood of applications for new digital from vendors aiming to get their signage up before a permanent ordinance was passed.
The ban applies to any new signage in the city. It does not affect supergraphics and digital billboards that are already in place.
Presumably this new ordinance will face challenges in court.
Los Angeles has a long and sometimes contentious relationship with the outdoor advertising industry.
Seven years ago, Los Angeles enacted a ban on new billboards in most areas of the city, but it allowed for new signage in certain “urban districts” such as Warner Center, Universal City and Encino.
And it has brokered deals with outdoor companies to reduce the total number of signs in exchange for new digital billboards.
The council’s main beef is appearance. Council members have said they do not want local neighborhoods wallpapered with bright-colored signage.
Other digital signage opponents point to safety concerns, saying the displays can be distracting for drivers.
Proponents, including the outdoor companies, say those distraction claims have never been fully proven, and they argue that digital billboards look cleaner than traditional ones, not to mention providing a bigger revenue stream.
Digital billboards have become a hotly contested issue in cities across the country, and several have attempted to enact bans.
In El Paso, Texas, the mayor recently vetoed a city council measure to ban digital billboards. In Knoxville, Tenn., they have already been banned.
