THE CHATSWORTH ROUNDUP  |  UPDATE
September 1, 2010

Greetings!

The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council has been monitoring a bill designed to rid the streets of unhitched advertising trailers. Here's the latest:

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Bill Banning Ad Trailers Goes to Governor
Schwarzenegger Has Until September 30 to Sign

A bill allowing cities to ban mobile advertising trailers has passed the California Legislature and is headed to the governor's desk.

Once signed, the Los Angeles City Council will be able to pass a motion regulating the signs within city limits.  Governor
CNC logoThe Chatsworth Neighborhood Council meets 7 p.m. tonight at Lawrence Middle School, 10100 Variel Ave. Click here for the agenda.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Sept. 30 to act on the legislation or it will become law without his signature.

"These mobile eyesores have been a threat to our community, blighting our neighborhoods and creating horrific safety issues. This legislation will finally give us the local control to ban them once and for all," said Mitch Englander, chief-of-staff to Councilman Greig Smith.

The Chatsworth Neighborhood Council has been working with Smith's office for several years to get the unhitched trailers banished from local streets.  No unhitched trailer signs were posted on Devonshire Street, but the trailers continue to be parked on Mason Avenue, Topanga Canyon Boulevard and many side-streets.

The bill was co-sponsored by state Assemblymen Bob Blumenfield (D, San Fernando Valley) and Mike Feuer (D, Los Angeles).
 
Bruce Boyer, owner of a mobile billboard company has parked a trailer outside Blumenfield's Van Nuys office reading: "Free Valley Streets ... Fire Fascist Bob Blumenfield." The sign has already attracted at least one parking ticket.

Ad Trailer"Even if the legislation is signed into law, we will file for declaratory relief in Federal Court. The legislation is such a perversion of the rights of vehicle owners that it would most likely be blocked by the courts," Boyer said in an email. "If that failed, Blumenfield did such a sloppy job writing the legislation that we could fire cannons through the loopholes in it," he said.

"Bottomline, the sign trailers will still be out there,  and the pols will have Bruce as their straw-man. I will not yield to the fascists and surrender my rights. Oh, and I don't scare well either!" Boyer said.

Several months ago Boyer parked a trailer beside the Devonshire Division police station. "I have a license plate. The state of California says I can operate on any street or highway in the state. I have every right that everybody else does," Boyer told KABC-TV.

"I'm tired of seeing these unsightly billboards on unhitched trailers all over our neighborhoods. They are nothing more than road spam," Blumenfield said. "I know many others are sick of them too. Literally thousands of people in our community have complained to me about these eyesores. It's time to get rid of them once and for all," he said.

"These signs are a distracting safety hazard for drivers, a source of blight in neighborhoods, and a drain on scarce parking spaces intended for business patrons. They should be outlawed, and this legislation will help communities take action
against them," said Feuer.

The bill is strongly supported by the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles City Attorney's office, a Blumenfield spokesman said.

To express your opinion on this issue, you can contact the governor at http://gov.ca.gov/.  Choose the Interact tab for email instructions. Or you can phone his Los Angeles office at (213) 897-0322.
-- Saul Daniels
Editor, Chatsworth Patch.com

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Watch for the launch of Chatsworth Patch on Sept. 27. No matter what's Patch logogoing on in our community, we've got it covered. Visit Patch daily to keep up with Neighborhood Council activities, news, businesses, and events. Check out photos and videos from around Chatsworth, see what neighbors are up to, and get in on the conversation.
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