A Facebook post Friday by Citizens Against Billboard Blight read: “WE WON AND HAVE THE NUMBERS.” On Monday, the city announced the signatures, which are part of a referndum effort to halt a billboard deal proposed by Metro, would be transported by Sheriff’s Station officials to Norwalk.
A Monday news release from the city verified the receipt of 11,368 signatures on petitions inside 15 of the 28 boxes turned in to city officials Monday. The next step will be verification of those signatures.
A billboard lobbying group and Santa Clarita residents opposed to the city’s agreement with Metro and subcontractor Allvision — to create billboards and more than $100 million in advertising revenue next to Interstate 5 and Highway 14 — began a referendum April 3 to try and stop the deal.
If 11,170 signatures are verified, the City Clerk must certify results to the Santa Clarita City Council. The council may then either rescind the billboard ordinance or move it to an election (special election or placed on the November ballot).
The CABB group, which joined in the signature-gathering effort initiated by the California State Outdoor Advertising Association, delivered the signatures to Santa Clarita City Hall.
If the referendum is successful, it would do one of two things: It would force the city to put the Metro deal on the ballot for residents, or it would force the city to rescind the deal, prompting at least a one-year delay while any details would have to be reworked.
To pass, a referendum needs approximately 10 percent of the city’s 111,697 registered voters, or 11,170, according to city officials. The City Clerk’s Office will determine whether the referendum paperwork is complete; if it is, the city would contract with Los Angeles County for help verifying the signatures.
A California State Outdoor Advertising Agency official said the CSOAA budgeted approximately $30,000 to hire signature-gatherers to gain support throughout Santa Clarita. However, one CABB posting notes the pay per signature might as been as high as $7 in the final days.
At least one CABB member was more upset about the terms of the city’s deal with Metro and how it was negotiated, as opposed to the deal itself.
“Citizens who showed up to complain at City Council meetings were mocked and derided,” said Patti Skinner Sulpizio, CABB organizer.
She referenced comments by former Santa Clarita City Councilman Frank Ferry, who mocked opposition to the billboard deal by saying most “normal people” don’t come to council meetings to complain.
Metro officials recently delayed considering the deal’s final approval pending the outcome of the referendum.
In a previous interview, Sulpizio noted if Santa Clarita were to put up billboards, it should “get a goldmine” for them.
The CSOAA represents 15 companies involved in billboard advertising, including CBS and Clear Channel, which are two of the companies that own billboards in the Metro right of way. CBS is not taking part in the referendum, said Jim Cassie, executive director for the CSOAA.
“We think that the city using a middleman, in this case, Allvision, to act as a broker for future billboard activity, is the wrong way to go,” Cassie said, “And beyond that, we don’t think it’s right.”
The deal calls for the approval of 50-year terms between the city, Metro and Allvision.
Talks with CBS and Clear Channel for compensation in the event of their billboards being taken down by Metro only reached preliminary stages, according to Paul Gonzalez, Metro spokesman.
The city recently negotiated a $1.3 million buyout of Newhall-based Edwards Outdoor Advertising, the third business that owned billboards along the Metro right of way and throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.
The billboard deal and subsequent referendum effort were followed by at least seven arrests — of proponents from both sides of the issue — at shopping centers throughout Santa Clarita.
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36 Comments
Where do I sign to take down the 118 smaller signs?
Question: how do I remove my name from this petition? This was presented as signing a petition requiring the public be allowed to VOTE on the billboards – NOT as a petition in opposition to. I’d rather have three than 100+.
Can political signs be added to the petition?
The 100+ have been through out the city for years. Adding three huge ones on the side on the freeways will be distracting through the newhall pass as thats where “they are” thinking about installing
How is the electronic one more distracting than the ones that are up now?!
Most of the smaller billboards are weathered and need to be redone or replaced. And some of them are covered by trees. So if we keep the small signs, force them to redo the billboard and keep it updated. Then remove/ trim the trees to see the billboards they wanted to keep
“Keep open space open.”
“Keep Santa Clarita beautiful… ”
I’m guessing having 118 billboards is more “open space” and “beautiful.”
The electronic boards are very distracting. Lancaster has one right next to the freeway. As the ads change you tend to look at the board, not the road. I have read in the paper that residents of homes on the other side of the freeway said the billboard lights up the inside of their homes. Also how many people will lose their jobs? They won’t be needed to hang new signs.
This is amazing. 118 old & busted peeling signs that look awful is NOT better than 3 electronic billboards. If you want to keep SCV beautiful, get rid of the 118 billboards!
If they bother you that much move back to the city’s that you all came from. You can go ahead and do that now
Billboards to stop billboards…….
Read the article instead of just the headlines people. Or better yet, go to or at least watch a council meeting on TV. Then the opinions you post on FB might not seem so ignorant.
Lol who cares i dont even know we had billboards i dont even notice them unless i go to vegas.. and lady on the picture saids something about kids? What do bill boards have to do with anything related to kids people are so dumb.
This whole mess should have been put to a vote to
begin with. The City council just decides to do
something (or NOT do it) and shoves their decisions through without seeming to care what citizens of the City of Santa Clarita like or
want. Who pays? You and me.
My God, people truly have no life. Who cares? These people need a hobby. Upset about 3 signs? To get rid of the 118 signs that the same people were protesting last time. I wish I had the time to go hold a worthless sign.
To the people that are saying read the article, I have taken the time to read everything about this issue not just the article. Are you protesters willing to write a check for the missing revenue our city makes from the billboards being taken down? (BECAUSE I’M NOT) If so why not commit to doing that? Put your money where your mouth and sign holding handS are. This is a monetary issue in the city’s view. Not a upset bored citizen’s view.
I did not see a single one of the people who are now naval gazing over the protest to these electronic billboards at the city council meetings or in letters to the editor. Apparently Santa Claritans that support audacious electronic billboards on the freeway stay silent until it appears the protesters have been successful.
If this goes as I suspect, every resident is going to have the opportunity to vote on this issue. Though I suspect many people commenting here are only occasional voters (or worse yet, vote based on the mailers they receive) I know this election, unlike our city council election will have record turnout!
The signature gatherers, were very pushy and they were sneaky about the true reason they wanted your signature. My friend asked why they didn’t ask if she was a resident when asking her to sign. My question is, who audited the signatures to make sure only SCV residents are on the list?
They lied to me……………. said it was to get rid of the billboards in Santa Clarita.
Follow the money … Professional signature gatherers were paid by the billboard companies.
Follow the money. Allvision, who contributed to the campaigns of weste and mclean, is from new York. the city put a local company out of business to make hundreds of millions for the company from new york.
The sign that the lady is holding does not make sense. Keep Santa Clarita beautiful for our kids by eliminating billboards.
I thought that signature collectors needed to be registered voters?
Do the signature collectors want billboards in the area where they live?
Oh dear, billboards.
Could just walk around them for a view, or pay attention to the road if driving.
Are these people just bored, desperate to be part of a cause?
And regular billboards aren’t trashy? Especially when they start to fall apart. Electronic ones are way my sophisticated and nicer looking. People are nuts. In my personal opinion why have any billboards at all. Thats what makes the town look like its turning into a city. Keep it beautiful well keep all the trash out including the trash people
I couldn’t agree more with you Brittany Covello . I remember when this area use to be more of a rural area now it’s starting to become to over grown & much more city . I really miss that small town feel it use to have .
Save the billboards and you save the small businesses and small town feel we are barely hanging onto.
So Not True. Burma Shave Signs… are small town feel. These are just trashy. The only reason that I know where Molly Maids are – their cars take up half the parking spaces in the tiny strip mall where I go to eat Thai food at Mom Can Cook. It would be nice if ALL BILLBOARDS WERE OUTLAWED. That would be home town.
Yeah until all the small businesses close because no one knows they exist… I like the small mom and pop billboards, because I am proud of our small businesses
Yeah until all the small businesses close because no one knows they exist… I like the small mom and pop billboards, because I am proud of our small businesses
Hi Kevin D. Korenthal. Agree with you. Nothing like 118 ugly signs for a ‘hometown feel’. Yup, three electronic billboards are going to ruin the entire city….. not the 118 trashy billboards. Ruining our hometown feel – So Not True. Burma Shave Signs… are small town feel. These are just trashy. The only reason that I know where Molly Maids are – their cars take up half the parking spaces in the tiny strip mall where I go to eat Thai food at Mom Can Cook. It would be nice if ALL BILLBOARDS INSIDE OUR CITY WERE OUTLAWED. That would be home town. Three billboards aren’t going to ruin our Hometown SCV. 118 ugly broken billboards inside of our city gone……….. a real improvement and a big step up.
Drive on the 118 freeway from simi to the 405 some evening. you can see the entire san Fernando valley. NICE VIEW.
dirve on the 5 freeway down the hill into santa clarita. NICE VIEW.
driver anywhere with BIG BRIGHT BLINKING ELECTRONIC BILLBOARDS. NOT SO NICE.
Just shows that the people here can be bought off by big business.
Advertise else where, people have done it for forever and are still in business its word of mouth for mom and pop businesses not a billboard.
Or make it inexpensive for people to add their adds to electronic ones. Theres a solution to every problem. Thats what i was taught.
Good finally I think what the city did was theft those familys that owned those signs for over 80 years were robbed by scv city these land snatchers are now taking up business snatching and the CORRUPTION will be investigated these people take an oath.of office its a felony when they dont up hold there oath im sick and tired of seeing CRIMINALS runing local government all governments for that matter we the people will come after your oath REMEMBER this warning if you break yoir oath its a felony we will prosecute we the people are watching !!!