Councilman Wants Signs to Have English

The Planning Commission will study an ordinance Tuesday night that would require 75% of each business sign in the city to be written in English.

If the council adopts the ordinance, Bellflower will be the first Southeast-area city with such a requirement.

Although city officials say they do not know of any signs in the city written totally in a foreign language, Councilman John Ansdell, who proposed the ordinance, said he is concerned that non-English signs might start to appear among businesses catering to growing Latino and Asian populations here.

“There is no problem with the signs in Bellflower now,” Ansdell said. “We just want to make sure that it doesn’t become a problem . . . .”

Ansdell said he was not influenced by the dispute in Monterey Park over English-only signs or by the overwhelming approval by voters in November of Proposition 63, which declares English the state’s official language.

Signs in English Required

Monterey Park, which has a large Asian population, adopted an ordinance last March that requires all businesses to have at least one sign in English describing the nature of the business.

“This ordinance has nothing to do with all that,” Ansdell said. “I’ve noticed more foreign signs in the city and I thought it was an issue we ought to be looking into.”

Between 1970 and 1980, the Latino population in Bellflower increased from 4,803 to 7,934 and the Asian population jumped from 358 to 2,134, according to census figures. The city now has about 58,000 residents.

The only other Southeast city to consider adopting an ordinance that would require signs to be written in English was South Gate, which proposed an English-only requirement in 1985 but later abandoned the proposal because of a lack of council support.

City Hall Must Approve

Cerritos, however, requires that all signs written in a foreign language must be approved by the Planning Department, which stipulates that signs contain sufficient English to be easily understood, according to Michele Ogle, city spokeswoman.

“Our sign ordinance does not address any language requirement, but depending on whether the language used is generally accepted and understood, the Planning Department decides how much of the sign should be translated,” Ogle said.

A name using the word casa, for instance, would not require a translation, Ogle said.

Jose Pacheco, president of the Bellflower/Paramount chapter of the League of Latin American Citizens, said he and several league representatives plan to speak against the ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting.

Pacheco, who owns an upholstery business in Bellflower, said he is mainly concerned with the effect the ordinance would have on businesses with Spanish names that can be easily identified by non-Spanish-speaking people.

“What about places with names like Casa Maria or Hacienda de las Flores? Will they have to change their names to Maria’s House or Ranch of Flowers?” Pacheco said. “I think this is a foolish ordinance.”

Wants to Study Issue

The Bellflower Chamber of Commerce has not taken a position on the proposal, said David Ryal, chamber manager. Ryal said he needs more time to study the ordinance.

“I don’t think many businesses would be affected by it, so I wouldn’t call this a major problem,” Ryal said. “My understanding is that the council wanted to save themselves the heartache Monterey Park went through when they let signs come in that were not in English and tried to correct it later.”

The Planning Commission will meet in the council chambers at Bellflower City Hall at 7 p.m.