La Verne : Better Sign Law in Works

The City Council has endorsed a kinder, gentler sign ordinance.

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Thomas Harvey, the council voted Monday night to stop prosecuting violations of city sign regulations for a month while it reworks the ordinance.

Harvey said complaints about the ordinance by business people have led him to believe the city tends to be “officious” in its enforcement. He suggested that La Verne be more flexible and stop sending out what he jokingly referred to as the “sign Gestapo.”

Later, he said that although La Verne does a good job in other areas of community relations, city officials need to be more considerate of the person who, for example, fixes automobiles but does not understand the ins and outs of city government. “We need to make people feel cared about,” he said.

Community Development Director Steve Preston suggested that the city hold off prosecuting sign cases for a month while La Verne works on an amendment to make its sign ordinance more “nurturing” to the business community.