Supergraphic Billboards Under Fire by City Attorney

The Los Angeles City Attorney’s office has filed a lawsuit challenging the installation of so-called “supergraphic” and other types of signage throughout the city, including a handful in the Valley. Many of the signs identified in the suit cover windows and obstruct ventilation, posing serious safety hazards for building occupants. Designed to be viewed primarily by motorists, the suit claims the signs create hazardous distractions for drivers. In 2009, the City of Los Angeles adopted a permanent ban on supergraphics and some other types of signs. The lawsuit alleges that 10 defendants, both companies and individuals, erected the supergraphic signs in violation of that ban, as well as California’s Outdoor Advertising Act, Unfair Competition Law and public nuisance laws, in addition to numerous other state laws and local ordinances. The city attorney’s office seeks an injunction to stop the sign companies from putting up any more of the supergraphics, penalties for each day the signs remain up, and surrender of revenues made from the signs. Thom Senzee