SANTA PAULA : Sign Dispute to Air on ‘People’s Court’

The latest chapter in a dispute over controversial protest signs in Santa Paula is scheduled to be televised today on the syndicated television show, “People’s Court.”

To celebrate, the winner has passed out bags of popcorn to friends, but the undaunted loser plans to host a party for supporters at a Santa Paula restaurant.

In June, Judge Joseph Wapner, the curmudgeonly retired jurist who dispenses justice on “People’s Court,” awarded Ray Gonzales $600 in material and punitive damages for the vandalism to his signs.

After listening to both sides, Wapner ruled that John Wisda, a Santa Paula businessman, violated Gonzales’ First Amendment right to free speech when he defaced two of the signs last December.

The case, which the writers for “People’s Court” have called “Give me liberty, or give me court,” is the latest episode in a long-running dispute between Gonzales and the city of Santa Paula.

The signs, which protest the allegedly elitist policies of city officials, have become local landmarks.

Gonzales parked the signs in pickup trucks after his primarily Latino service club, the 20/30 Club, was banned from maintaining a beer booth at the Kiwanis-sponsored Citrus Fair in 1984.

But Wisda and other business owners believe the signs, located on 10th Street near City Hall, create a negative image of the community.

In 1986, the city of Santa Paula passed an ordinance outlawing “temporary signs,” but Gonzales challenged the law in court, and it was overturned by the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

On Wednesday, Wisda said his experience on “People’s Court” had taught him a lesson. “One thing I learned is that free speech is a precious right,” Wisda said.

But Wisda--who was fined $50 and given two years probation when he pleaded no contest to a criminal charge of vandalism--remained critical of Gonzales’ signs.

“We won the moral battle, but the bottom line is the man’s right to free speech,” he said.

The show is scheduled to air today at 3 p.m. on KCOP (Channel 13) in Los Angeles, and at 4 p.m. on KEYT (Channel 3) in Santa Barbara.