Anaheim : 2 Candidates Pay Up for Removal of Signs

City Councilman Fred Hunter and former council candidate William D. Ehrle, who vowed to fight before paying for removal of illegal campaign signs, have quietly paid the bill, a city official said Wednesday.

Both Hunter and Ehrle pledged last month to fight a small-claims lawsuit brought against them by the City of Anaheim before paying for the removal of signs posted in violation of a city ordinance.

But city code enforcement supervisor John Poole said Wednesday that both men agreed to have their election committees pay the costs if their names on the bill were replaced by the names of their respective campaign organizations.

Hunter’s committee paid the city $1,024.48 for removal of 337 signs, Poole said. Ehrle’s group paid $212 for removal of 70 signs, he said.

A sign ordinance adopted last July allows the city to remove signs that are illegally posted in public spots, such as on utility poles, and to charge their owners for removal and storage.

After the men paid their bills, the city dropped the lawsuits, Poole said, adding that “it all ended happily.”