Amended in Senate August 2, 2016

Amended in Senate September 2, 2015

Amended in Assembly May 14, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 1373


Introduced by Assembly Member Santiago

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer)

February 27, 2015


An act to add Section 5272.2 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to outdoor advertising, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1373, as amended, Santiago. Outdoor advertising: City of Los Angeles.

The Outdoor Advertising Act provides for the regulation by the Department of Transportation of advertising displays, as defined, within view of public highways. The act exempts from certain of its provisions advertising displays that advertise the business conducted or services rendered or goods produced or sold on the property upon which the display is placed, as specified.

This bill would exempt from those provisions of the act advertising displays located in a specific geographic area in the City of Los Angeles if those displays meet specified conditions and requirements, including the adoption of, and compliance with, an ordinance by the City of Los Angeles. The bill would impose certain conditions ifbegin delete theend deletebegin insert anend insert advertising display authorized by this bill is a message center display.begin delete The bill would require that, if an advertising display is subject to a notice from the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, or other applicable federal agency to the state that the operation of that display will result in the reduction of federal funds, as provided, authorization of the display would cease 60 days after the state notifies the display owner of the receipt of the federal notice, and would require the display owner to remove all advertising copy within that time or be subject to specified civil fines.end deletebegin insert The bill would require the department, before the advertising display may be placed, to determine or to request the Federal Highway Administration to determine that the display will not cause a reduction in federal aid funds or otherwise be inconsistent with any federal law, regulation, or agreement between the state and a federal agency or department.end insert

The bill would make the City of Los Angeles primarily responsible for ensuring that a display remains in compliance with the ordinance and the bill’s requirements, and would require the city to indemnify and hold the department harmless if the city fails to do so.

This bill would also make findings and declarations as to the need for a special statute relating to the City of Los Angeles.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Vote: 23. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 5272.2 is added to the Business and
2Professions Code
, to read:

3

5272.2.  

(a) With the exception of Article 4 (commencing with
4Section 5300) and Sections 5400 to 5404, inclusive, this chapter
5does not apply to any advertising display located in the geographic
6area in the City of Los Angeles bounded by Wilshire Boulevard
7on the northeast, S. Figueroa Street on the southeast, Interstate 10
8on the southwest, and State Route 110 on the northwest, if all of
9the following conditions are met:

10(1) The advertising display is authorized by, or in accordance
11with, an ordinance, including, but not limited to, a specific plan
12or sign district, adopted by the City of Los Angeles that regulates
13advertising displays by identifying the specific displays or
14establishing regulations that include, at a minimum, all of the
15following:

P3    1(A) Number of signs and total signage area allowed.

2(B) Maximum individual signage area.

3(C) Minimum sign separation.

4(D) Illumination restrictions and regulations, including signage
5refresh rate, scrolling, and brightness.

6(E) Illuminated sign hours of operation.

7(2) The owner of the advertising display has submitted to the
8department a copy of the ordinance adopted by the City of Los
9Angeles authorizing the advertising display and identification of
10the provisions of the ordinance required under paragraph (1) and
11the department has certified that the ordinance meets the minimum
12requirements contained in paragraph (1).

13(3) The advertising display will not advertise products, goods,
14or services related to tobacco, firearms, or sexually explicit
15material.

16(4) This chapter does not limit the City of Los Angeles from
17adopting ordinances prohibiting or further restricting the size,
18number, or type of advertising displays permitted by this section.

19(5) If the advertising display is a message center, the owner of
20the display shall do one of the following:

21(A) Make the message center display available on a
22space-available basis for use by the department or the Department
23of the California Highway Patrol for public service messages,
24including Emergency Alert System (Amber Alert) messages
25disseminated pursuant to Section 8594 of the Government Code,
26and messages containing, among other things, reports of commute
27times, drunk driving awareness messages, reports of accidents of
28a serious nature, and emergency disaster communications.

29(B) Make a message center display not subject to this section
30that is under the control of the owner of the advertising display
31available on a space-available basis for public service messages
32in a location acceptable to the department and the Department of
33the California Highway Patrol.

34(C) Provide funding to the department for the installation of a
35message center display to accommodate those public service
36messages, which may include funding as part of mitigation in
37connection with the approval of development of the property on
38which the message center display is located by the City of Los
39Angeles.

begin delete

P4    1(b) If an advertising display authorized pursuant to subdivision
2 (a) is subject to a notice from the United States Department of
3Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, or any other
4applicable federal agency to the state that the operation of that
5display will result in the reduction of federal aid highway funds
6provided in Section 131 of Title 23 of the United States Code,
7authorization of the display under subdivision (a) shall cease and
8the display owner shall remove all advertising copy from the
9display within 60 days after the state notifies the display owner of
10the receipt of the federal notice. Failure to remove the advertising
11copy pursuant to this subdivision shall result in a civil fine, imposed
12by the California Department of Transportation, of ten thousand
13dollars ($10,000) per day until the advertising copy is removed.
14The department shall not assume any liability in connection with
15cessation of operation or removal of an advertising display or
16advertising copy pursuant to this subdivision.

end delete
begin insert

17
(b) (1) Before the advertising display authorized pursuant to
18subdivision (a) may be placed, the department shall determine that
19the display will not cause a reduction in federal aid funds or
20otherwise be inconsistent with any federal law, regulation, or
21agreement between the state and a federal agency or department.

end insert
begin insert

22
(2) If the department is unable to make the determination
23required pursuant to paragraph (1), the department shall request
24the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) of the United States
25Department of Transportation to make the determination. Upon
26receipt of a determination by the FHA that makes the finding
27described in paragraph (1), the advertising display may be placed.

end insert

28(c) The City of Los Angeles shall have primary responsibility
29for ensuring that a display authorized pursuant to subdivision (a)
30remains in conformance with all provisions of the ordinance and
31of this section. If the City of Los Angeles fails to ensure that the
32display remains in conformance with all provisions of the ordinance
33and of this section after 30 days of receipt of a written notice from
34the department, the City of Los Angeles shall hold the department
35harmless and indemnify the department for all costs incurred by
36the department to ensure compliance with the ordinance and this
37section or to defend actions challenging the adoption of the
38ordinance allowing the displays.

39

SEC. 2.  

Due to unique circumstances concerning the location
40of the advertising displays, or proposed advertising displays, set
P5    1forth in this act and the need for advertising in that location, it is
2necessary that an exemption from some of the provisions of the
3Outdoor Advertising Act be provided for those displays, and the
4Legislature finds and declares that a general statute cannot be made
5applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the
6California Constitution.

7

SEC. 3.  

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the
8immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within
9the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
10immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

11Given the rapidity with which this area of Los Angeles is being
12developed, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.



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