Eliminate Billboards; They’re Obsolete

Re “Council Split Over Call to Ban Billboards,” Jan. 23: Billboards are nothing more than a crass, vulgar form of commercialism and do nothing but show what a lack of taste and appreciation we have for the beautiful part of the world we live in. They are ugly and a distraction to motorists.

At a time in our history when there are so many other forms of media available to business, this form of advertisement has in fact been rendered obsolete. There is no longer a reason to trade the lost beauty of our skyline for the sake of promoting a product. I am in favor of an all-out ban on this urban blight and a plan to completely eliminate them. Our City Council should take decisive action toward this end as quickly as possible.

Elsebeth Rogen

Sylmar

Ogden Nash said it best:

I think that I shall never see

A billboard lovely as a tree

Indeed, unless the billboards fall

I’ll never see a tree at all.

Steven Klein

Los Angeles