The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office has sponsored new legislation inked by state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas to toughen regulations on billboard and give cities the right to take illegal ones down. Senate Bill 563 would remove a loophole that protects illegal signs that have not received complaints for five or more years. It would also eliminate fees paid to companies for removal. “This legislation will give California some of the toughest billboard regulations in the nation and put an end to the rampant outdoor advertising blighting our communities,” City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said in a statement. Billboard companies have long argued the First Amendment protects outdoor advertising. The bill is slated for hearing in the state Senate Transportation and Housing Committee this week.
