Published Opinion: Sign Ordinances for On- and Off-Site Commercial Advertising

In a published opinion which will elicit sighs of relief from municipal governments around the state, the Second Appellate District upheld municipalities’ ability to differentiate between offsite and onsite commercial advertising under the California liberty of speech clause. In Lamar Central Outdoor, LLC. v. City of Los Angeles,  (Mar. 10, 2016), __ Cal.App.2d __, a billboard agency challenged whether the City of Los Angeles could regulate signs differently based on their commercial nature and their location. The City’s regulations banned new offsite signs (with exceptions including an exception for noncommercial signage) and also banned offsite signs with digital displays. Because of the state-wide importance of the Lamar case, the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and the American Planning Association California Chapter submitted an amicus brief. Deborah Fox and Meg Rosequist authored the brief. Read More.