News Rack Regulation Advances

The Los Angeles City Council advanced a proposal Wednesday to regulate the placement and color of news racks throughout the city, setting the ordinance for final approval next week.

A majority of the council is concerned that the 35,000 news racks on Los Angeles sidewalks are creating blight, with racks of many colors clustered chaotically around the front doors of businesses.

The ordinance, given a first reading Wednesday, would limit the number of racks to 16 for every 200 feet of sidewalk, set height and width limits, require that clusters contain no more than four racks and require that all be painted ivy green. Because the measure lacked unanimous council support, however, it was scheduled for a second reading next week when the votes of eight of the 15 council members would be needed for passage.

Council members Jan Perry, Bernard C. Parks, Janice Hahn and Ed Reyes supported allowing a range of approved colors for news racks, but the council majority favored requiring ivy green.

“It removes the clutter from our community,” said Councilman Greig Smith, who spearheaded the effort. “We want to clean up our communities, make them more uniform, less cluttered.”

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said her San Fernando Valley district is the “poster child” for the problem, with 169 racks on one block alone.