San Gabriel OKs Law Requiring English on Signs

Like many cities nationwide, San Gabriel is sidestepping potential legal restraints and acting to eliminate signs that are solely or mostly in foreign languages. The City Council has given initial approval to an ordinance requiring that at least 50% of the words on commercial signs in the city be in English.

The council will consider the matter again this week and, if approved, the law will go into effect 30 days after the final vote.

A move by City Councilman Sabino Cici to require 75% English on signs was voted down, partly because of fears that the ordinance would be challenged in the courts.

“The bottom line is that there is a constitutional right to speak to your audience in any language you want,” said City Atty. Stephanie Scher.

Scher said that although the question of non-English language signs has never been definitively settled in California courts, the city has the right to take measures in the interest of public safety. “Suppose you see someone walk into a door with a shotgun,” she said. “How do you tell the police where it is if the only sign is written in characters not readable by the general population?”