Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : 7 Candidates in Violation of Campaign Poster Code : Santa Clarita: City Council hopefuls are required to list who paid for signs. Whistle-blower Fred Heiser is guilty of too-small type.

About half the 13 candidates for City Council have violated a local ordinance by posting signs that fail to say who paid for them, much to the annoyance of candidate Fred Heiser who brought the matter to the city clerk’s attention.

But he who lives in a glass candidacy perhaps shouldn’t be so fast to throw stones. While Heiser’s signs have the appropriate disclosure on them, it appears the information isn’t large enough--so he’s in violation of the code as well.

The city clerk sent out warning letters to the violators.

Signs by incumbents Carl Boyer, Jo Anne Darcy and Jill Klajic and challengers Tim Jorgensen, Clyde Smyth and Linda Storli fail to adequately disclose who paid for them, violating an ordinance passed by the City Council in December, 1992. Five other candidates, including two who dropped out of the race last month, have not posted signs.

Heiser has been the most vocal about the mistakes by incumbents, saying they should know and adhere to legislation they voted upon.

“I don’t think there’s any intent to malign here,” said Heiser, 37. “I just think it’s stupid these clowns would pass this with so much ballyhoo and then ignore it.”

The ordinance was approved by a 4-0 vote Dec. 8, 1992, with Councilwoman Klajic absent.

“One of the problems with the council is they pass something without realizing the implications of it,” said Heiser, an engineer for Lockheed. “They do these things almost on a whim.”

According to city staffers, Heiser first complained after he was notified some of his signs were illegally placed in the public right of way and had to be moved.

City officials have no plans to apply the code’s penalty of $1,000 or up to six months in jail, but letters have been sent out to remind candidates of the requirement.

“It’s just a slip-up--no excuse,” said Klajic, 47. “He’s absolutely right. I think the voter has the right to know and the material should say who paid for it.”

Klajic originally opposed the 1992 ordinance, calling for more regulation of contributions by special interest groups. She said both of her billboards are going to be amended.

“Next time, instead of insisting that all my campaign volunteers read the ordinance, I’m going to read it myself,” Klajic said.

Councilwoman Darcy similarly characterized the violation as an oversight, saying she was unaware it applied to large signs. Her four billboards are also going to be corrected.

Councilman Boyer could not be reached for comment.

Heiser is less critical of new candidates who overlooked or misread the legislation. This includes his own 3 by 4 foot signs, which violate the same ordinance by having the disclosures printed too small. The information is supposed to be in 12-point type on an 8.5 by 11 inch piece of paper and proportionately larger for bigger signs.

“I went to great effort to get disclaimers on my signs,” said Heiser, who said the printer made the lettering too small and that replacements are on the way. “It’s not as big as it should be, but it’s there.”

Other candidates who violated the ordinance are admitting their errors and taking steps to correct them.

Some characterized Heiser’s complaints as petty and saw some irony in that he violated the code as well.

“I think he should be more interested in expounding his views rather than nit-picking,” said Darcy, 62.

“People in glass houses shouldn’t throw rocks,” said Dennis Farnham, 49. “If he’s in violation, he shouldn’t say anything.”

Ironically Farnham, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, is the only candidate who posted signs that didn’t violate the ordinance, but took them down anyway as a precaution.

Farnham removed all 50 of his 12 by 16 inch signs Wednesday because they included the name of his campaign committee but no address. He met with City Manager George Caravalho Friday, who interpreted the ordinance to mean the disclosure must include either piece of information, but not necessarily both.

“Now I have to put them up again,” Farnham said.

Farnham said council members should know the requirements of an ordinance that they voted on, but added that bringing up a technical violation is petty.

Candidates Jorgensen and Storli could not be reached for comment.