City of LA Seeking Fines That Could Add Up to Millions for 'Supergraphic' Signs That Had No Permits
A company that owns billboards, some of which are large-scale ones known as “supergraphics,” faces a civil enforcement action from the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which maintains that the large structures are illegal.
The signs in question are from Van Wagner Communications. Each sign, now removed, is reported to have exceed 25 feet in height, 60 feet in length and 1,200 square feet in total area, according to the Metropolitan News-Enterprise. One sign in question, the paper reports, was a three-sided structure in downtown Los Angeles, advertising Pepsi, Gatorade and Chase bank.
According to the MetNews, the city attorney’s office alleges that the signs were unpermitted, and the defendants ignored written notices from the Los Angeles Fire Department and Caltrans to remove the structures. For each day that the signs were in place, the city attorney’s office seeks $5,000 per day, per sign, and additional fines for structures facing freeways. The fines could be in the millions, a city attorney spokesperson said.
