Councilman’s Removal of Competitor’s Signs Probed

Police are investigating whether Councilman Steve Berry, the owner of an Anaheim company that produces trade shows, illegally tore down the signs of a business rival in the middle of the night.

Berry calls it an honest mistake; he says he was just taking down unsightly outdated signs that have irked neighbors. But if police find he targeted his competitor, whose signs were not outdated, he could face felony grand theft charges.

Berry, 35, who was elected to his first term on the City Council in November, was pulled over by police at 1:34 a.m. Wednesday at Brenner and Orangethorpe avenues because a patrol officer suspected he had committed a traffic violation, said Sgt. Ken Coovert, who would not elaborate on the possible infraction.

Berry said: “They thought I was drunk driving because I was driving real slow. I work during the day and it makes sense to do this at night when the traffic is light.”

What he does, he says, is take down his own outdated trade show signs in response to neighbors’ complaints that they cause blight.

When he was stopped Wednesday, the officer spotted a variety of advertising signs in the back of Berry’s minivan--about 30 to 40 by the councilman’s own count.

Among them were signs for a March 23 bridal show produced by Berry’s business rival, Sumita Batra of Ziba Productions in La Mirada.

The councilman admitted to taking the signs, but he denied that he targeted Ziba, whose signs he says were removed by mistake.

“I’m thinking I’m doing somebody some good and I’m getting all kinds of flack for it,” he said.

Batra said Berry’s response was preposterous because nearly all of the 300 signs advertising her show were removed, though it was unclear how many were in Berry’s car.

She said she first noticed some missing Tuesday night. By Wednesday, nearly all were gone, she said.

“He’s the only one who’s been found with my signs in his van,” she said. “Two plus two equals four. It was very clear on the signs that the show is not until March 23. I’ve got 80 vendors participating. . . . He himself uses this vehicle to publicize shows and he knows very well how important those signs are to me.”

Police said they are still investigating whether a theft has occurred. Any charge filed will depend on the value of the property, Coovert said. If the property is worth more than $400, it could be grand theft, a felony. If the signs are worth less than that, the charge would be a misdemeanor.

Batra said she spent $2,000 to hire a contractor to put the signs up and remove them after the show. Given the ample lead time demanded by contractors, she said she will not be able to put any new signs up and had to buy an ad in a local newspaper to publicize the show.