Vote on Signboard by Freeway Delayed

Responding to requests from residents, officials will not decide yet whether to grant permission for an electronic signboard alongside the San Diego Freeway.

The City Council was to have voted on the item Nov. 5--election day--but residents complained that they would be too busy watching campaign results to attend the meeting.

At issue is a 20-foot-high lighted board with 121 square feet of message space that was proposed for a recreational vehicle dealership at 10480 Talbert Ave. The plan, hugely unpopular with throngs of residents who crowded City Hall in protest during the council’s Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 sessions, has twice been delayed.

The vote is now tentatively set for Nov. 19.

Councilman John J. Collins, who is not up for reelection, suggested moving the matter from the Nov. 5 meeting to give residents a chance to participate.

Collins said the Nov. 5 meeting will take place as planned, however, to keep other city business moving.

“We’ve got to pay the bills and stuff like that,” Collins said. “If this meeting goes for a half hour, I’ll be extremely surprised.”

Only one incumbent council member, James D. Petrikin, is up for reelection. He said he would like to get out of the meeting early to see how he fares in the race.

“On those nights, we try to keep it short and sweet,” he said.