2 Firms Accused of Illegal Sign Postings

Continuing the crackdown on unlawful sign posting in the San Fernando Valley, the city attorney filed criminal charges Wednesday against two businesses accused of illegally attaching signs to utility poles and then failing to heed orders to remove them.

Michael McCollum and Tarrie Condon, owners of Pasadena-based Child Support Assistance Agency, were charged with seven counts of illegally posting signs and six counts of failing to comply with a city Department of Building and Safety order to remove them.

A resident pulled 23 signs off utility poles on Foothill Boulevard and notified officials about McCollum and Condon. The signs advertised assistance in obtaining child support and were posted in the Sunland and Tujunga areas, said Deputy City Atty. Don Cocek, who is prosecuting the cases.

In the second case, Mike Swoboda and Robert D. Friedman, executives of Irvine-based NRLL Inc., are charged with six counts of illegally posting signs and three counts of failing to comply with an order to remove them.

Building and safety inspectors spotted signs advertising a 220-parcel public land auction sponsored by NRLL throughout the Valley. The signs were posted in many areas, including North Hollywood, Northridge and Canoga Park, Cocek said.

In both cases, each count carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. McCollum and Condon are scheduled for arraignment on Oct. 14 and Swoboda and Friedman on Oct. 21. Both arraignments will be in Van Nuys Municipal Court.

The charges filed Wednesday mark the fourth time since late August that the city attorney’s office has filed criminal complaints against businesses posting signs illegally.