City Ordinance to Target Stores’ Signs, Banners

Merchants in a six-block area along Hollywood Boulevard will have to remove certain signs and banners outside their stores or face being cited under a city ordinance designed to eliminate visual clutter.

Officials of the Hollywood Entertainment District, which extends one block north and south of Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea Avenue and McCadden Place, began notifying merchants and property owners in March that the city Department of Building and Safety would enforce the sign ordinance starting today, said Kerry Morrison, executive director of the business improvement district.

“There’s a plethora of signage contributing to the visual clutter of the area,” Morrison said, adding that many merchants have been calling for such a cleanup for years.

Under the ordinance, permits are required for A-frame sidewalk signs and banners, and temporary signs attached to trees are prohibited and out-of-date signs must be removed within 90 days.

“A lot of people felt we needed to clean up the area to put our best foot forward,” said Leron Gubler, executive director of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “We don’t want it to look like a flea market.”