Limiting of Street Banners Is a Red Flag for Valley

Los Angeles city officials think it’s high time to revise the rules for hanging banners from street poles. But in the San Fernando Valley, the idea of restrictions is angering a group of business leaders.

A year ago, the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley unfurled 600 star-spangled, black-and-blue banners to raise money for the nonprofit alliance and foster Valley pride. But under a proposed ordinance revision, city officials say, the “Valley of the Stars” banners would have to be changed--or come down.

“Those banners help develop a sense of community out here,” said Marvin Selter, board member of the Economic Alliance. “Taking them down is just one more example of how City Hall has always viewed the Valley as a second-class citizen.”

Selter was among the 25 Valley business leaders who gathered Thursday morning in a Woodland Hills movie theater parking lot to launch a campaign to fight the banner proposal, scheduled to be considered by the City Council next Friday.

Several suggested that the city’s efforts to regulate banners will fuel the Valley secession movement.

“This is a classic example of over-regulation and another reason why we need to run our own darn city,” said Ross Hopkins, chairman of the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley.

But Ron Deaton, the city’s chief legislative analyst, said the proposal was not aimed at the Valley.

“That wasn’t our intent at all,” said Deaton, who is pushing for the new banner rules. “Our intent is to clarify the law.”

Under the proposal, only banners advertising specific community-oriented events run by nonprofit groups or city agencies would be allowed, and then just for 60 days.

The “Stars” banners don’t advertise a specific event. The goal is to promote the Valley and its historic links to the movie business.

City Hall began looking at the banner issue in August when CBS TV executives complained that rival ABC was using street poles to advertise. Officials then discovered that ABC had been improperly authorized to put up 2,000 banners, many right across the street from CBS studios on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City.

ABC ultimately removed the banners, but network lawyers pointed out that private companies, including the Lakers and the Dodgers, had hung street banners.

The current rules are not clear about what is considered a commercial ad, said Lynne Ozawa, a legislative analyst at City Hall, so the city decided to revise them.

Another part of the proposal would limit the placement of company names.