Sent to Council : Temporary Ban on Encino Signs Passes Key Test

A proposal to prohibit new billboards on Ventura Boulevard in Encino that do not conform to a proposed sign-control law for the area passed a key test at Los Angeles City Hall Tuesday.

By a 2-0 vote, the City Council’s Planning and Environment Committee sent the proposal to the full council with a recommendation for approval.

The legislation was introduced by Councilman Marvin Braude to head off what he says has been an effort by the billboard industry to “come in under the gun” by erecting signs on Ventura Boulevard before the council can act.

Braude, whose district includes Encino, said three billboards have gone up since he proposed the moratorium last month. He told the committee there now are 33 billboards along the 3 1/2 miles of Ventura Boulevard in Encino.

Intense Lobbying Predicted

Braude has predicted an intense lobbying effort by the billboard industry, which has been a major contributor to the political campaigns of council members, to kill his proposal.

Tuesday’s committee action came less than a week after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a request by an Encino homeowners’ group for an injunction blocking the erection of signs exceeding the height allowed for buildings.

Braude’s proposal would prohibit the city from issuing permits for any new signs that do not conform to the proposed sign control law for Encino--not just those exceeding building height limits. The moratorium would remain in effect until the council acts on the Encino proposal, which would regulate the size and number of signs as well as ban new rooftop signs and billboards.

At a City Hall hearing before the committee, Robert Rome, representing Homeowners of Encino, testified that signs along Ventura Boulevard have detracted from scenic views of the Santa Monica Mountains.

“In other communities, you see signs advertising Kiwanis and Rotary clubs,” Rome said. “When you enter Encino, the first thing you see is a sign advertising Las Vegas.”

Pilar Perry, representing the Foster and Kleiser billboard company, told the committee that the moratorium would cause a financial hardship on the business community.