Residents Win Fight to Remove Billboards

Nine billboards that line Chandler Boulevard in North Hollywood will be removed this summer, following years of activism by residents there.

Members of the Valley Village Homeowners Assn. wanted the two companies that advertise on the billboards to remove them. Residents went to state legislators several times over the last seven years hoping to get support for their efforts. State Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar) introduced a bill that would give the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which owns the right of way, the right to end its lease agreements with the billboard companies.

The dispute centered on whether the companies should be compensated for the removal of the signs. Under the agreement reached between the homeowners association and the companies, no compensation will be required. Since the companies won’t be receiving any money, Alarcon said he will withdraw the bill.

“This is a big win for the residents in Valley Village who have been fighting to get these billboards removed for years,” Alarcon said. “I applaud both advertising companies for listening to the will of the community.”

The two companies--Eller Media Co. and Outdoor Systems--will remove the signs within the next three months.

Residents want to landscape the area where the billboards are located. Money from a $96,000-federal grant will be used to beautify a quarter-mile of the street, said Mark Woersching, a consultant for the homeowners association.

“The billboards are a visual blight,” he said. “It will be really great to have some of the medians uncluttered.”