SIMI VALLEY : Curbs Sought on Advertising Balloons

Complaining that inflatable dinosaurs, blimps and balloons make their city look like a circus, Simi Valley residents are urging city planners to tighten restrictions on the inflatable promotion items.

City planning commissioners agreed to propose lower limits on the height at which a balloon can fly and limit the number of clustered businesses that can fly balloons simultaneously.

And commissioners asked the city staff to formulate harsher penalties for businesses that fail to acquire permits prior to pumping up their displays.

But the commissioners also rejected several restrictions some residents wanted, including one requiring the balloons be tied to the ground instead of to rooftops.

And they did not move forward with harsher restrictions on how long balloons could be displayed.

Two long-time residents attending the meeting stormed out, saying commissioners were ignoring serious issues about the city’s appearance.

“This used to be a beautiful town,” said Marvin Banks. “We’re going to turn it into a dump.”

Commissioners said they were concerned about the way the city looks, but also had to refrain from becoming too restrictive to local business.

Commissioner Michael Piper asked that the inflatable items not be lighted and should be no taller than 30 feet or than the building they sit upon.

The City Council will have the final vote on the issue later in the summer.