Local News in Brief : Signs Will Carry a Bit More English

The Monterey Park City Council, concluding months of study and intense public debate, has unanimously revised its sign ordinance to require slightly more English on commercial signs.

Under the new law, every business sign posted in the community must include an explanation in English of either the name or the nature of the establishment.

Previously, the ordinance allowed a business to post several signs all in a foreign language as long as one of its signs included an English-language description of the firm’s general activity, such as a pharmacy, bakery or law offices.

The revised law, adopted Monday, represented a compromise of a broad range of viewpoints in the community, where a majority of residents are of Asian ancestry and where many signs use Chinese characters. The measure stopped far short of rules sought by some, including Mayor Barry L. Hatch, who advocated that signs should essentially be in English. But the ordinance went further than desired by others, such as Councilwoman Judy Chu, who argued that the whole issue was divisive.