Removing Illegal Signs Is OK, Residents Told

The president of a homeowners group said members are pleased with a statement released this week by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office that clarifies the law governing signs on public property.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn., Assistant City Atty. Anthony Saul Alperin said residents removing signs posted on public property such as lampposts, traffic signals, utility poles and trees could not be charged with theft.

The association had complained to officials about signs that advertise apartments for rent, computer shows and an array of services.

Close sent City Atty. James Hahn a letter in May contending that illegal signs “proliferate throughout the San Fernando Valley” and are often out of date.

City law does not explicitly authorize residents to remove the signs--that task belongs to the Department of Public Works--but Alperin said such signs would be treated as abandoned property and those who remove them “are not subject to criminal laws prohibiting theft.”

However, residents who remove signs are not protected from civil action. Still, Close said, “This is the first time the public has been given the OK to start tearing down this commercial graffiti.”

Addressing other issues raised by the association, Alperin said the group could donate money to the city to authorize public works department overtime expenses for sign removal. He also said those illegally posting signs could be charged for the cost of their removal.