Proposition G: Outdoor Commercial Advertising

League of Women Voters of California

San Francisco County, CA

March 5, 2002 Election

Proposition G
Outdoor Commercial Advertising
City of San Francisco
Ordinance - Majority Vote Required

16,320 / 77.46% Yes votes ...... 4,749 / 22.54% No votes

See Also: Index of all Propositions

Information shown below: Summary | Fiscal Impact | Yes/No Meaning | Arguments |

Shall the City prohibit new outdoor commercial advertising signs and regulate relocation of existing outdoor commercial advertising signs?

Summary:

THE WAY IT IS NOW: The City regulates the display of outdoor commercial signs. Signs that advertise goods or services sold somewhere other than where the sign is dis-played, called "general advertising signs," are permitted in some locations in the City. These signs are commonly called billboards.

THE PROPOSAL: Proposition G is a City ordinance that would prohibit additional general advertising signs. This ordinance would allow existing general advertising signs to be moved to a new location, if current law permitted these signs at the new location. A public hearing would be required before a sign could be moved.

How "G" Got on the Ballot On December 4, 2001 the Department of Elections received a proposed ordinance signed by Supervisors Ammiano, Gonzalez, Leno, McGoldrick, and Peskin.

The City Elections Code allows four or more Supervisors to place an ordinance on the ballot in this manner.

Fiscal Impact:

Controller's Statement on "G" City Controller Edward Harrington has issued the follow-ing statement on the fiscal impact of Proposition G: Should the proposed initiative ordinance be approved by the voters, in my opinion, there would be no significant increase in the cost of government.

A YES vote of this measure means:: If you vote yes, you want to pro-hibit additional general advertising signs and regulate relo-cation of existing general advertising signs.
A NO vote of this measure means:: If you vote no, you do not want to prohibit additional general advertising signs and regulate relocation of existing general advertising signs.

Nonpartisan Information

League of Women Voters of San Francisco

Pros and Cons on Prop. G - (PDF file)

News and Analysis

San Francisco Chronicle

Prop. G goal: End billboard proliferation - 2/22/02

Partisan Information

Supports

Yes on G (maintained by San Francisco Beautiful) - includes endorsements and full text of the measure.

Opposes

No known websites

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Arguments For Proposition G

Arguments Against Proposition G

KEEP SAN FRANCISCO BEAUTIFUL BY LIMITING NEW BILLBOARDS San Francisco is one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the world, but it is losing its character as more billboards pollute our streets and neighborhoods every day. In the last decade, hundreds of billboards, technically called general advertising signs, have been slapped up across the City's neighborhoods: on the side of buildings, plastered next to shop windows, and stacked one-after-another on major streets. Due to new technology, billboard companies can erect signs anywhere quickly, easily and cheaply. Today, about 1,500 billboards blan-ket our city, and there is no limit on how many there will be tomorrow. That's why we need Proposition G. It would prohibit the construction of additional billboards in the City. It also would allow existing billboards to be moved to other locations through a public hearing process, which would mean less abandoned bill-boards.

San Francisco is behind the times in limiting billboards. More than 600 US cities # including San Jose, San Diego, Denver and Seattle # and six States have protected their environment by pro-

hibiting new billboards. Prop G protects our diverse neighborhoods and beautiful parks. It halts the invasion of billboards that bombard residents' daily lives, block views, and cover historic buildings. Prop G limits over-commercialization of our public space. It protects our public streets, plazas, and parks from being over-run by blatant commercial messages. San Francisco finally has an opportunity to do what other great US cities did years ago: protect our landscape from more visual blight. Please join Senator Dianne Feinstein, Assemblymembers Carole Migden and Kevin Shelley, San Francisco Beautiful, the League of Conservation Voters, and the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods in supporting Prop. G to limit new billboards.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin Supervisor Tom Ammiano Supervisor Jake McGoldrick Supervisor Mark Leno Supervisor Matt Gonzalez

Rebuttal to Arguments For

BAY AREA LINCOLN LEAGUE (" BALL") CENTRAL COMMITTEE NOMINEES OPPOSE PROPOSITION G. BALL is AGAINST PROPOSITION G (unnecessary banning of billboards). Also read REBUTTAL OF PROPOSITION B OPPONENT (above). Vote AGAINST PROPOSITION G.

-Dr. Terence Faulkner -Gail Neira Past State Secretary Republican State California Republican County Assembly Candidate Chairmen's Association

-Republican Committee Candidates: 12th District: 13th District: Olive Fox Shirley Bates Denis Norrington( Incumbent) Wayne Chan Les Payne (Incumbent) Eve Del Castello Joe Giuliani
-Dr. Ronald Konopaski Republican Volunteer

SAN FRANCISCO REPUBLICAN COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OPPOSES UNFAIR PROPOSITION G: Backed by many of the City's existing billboard firms, Proposition G has a goal of halting new outdoor advertising signs. Frankly, the existing ad companies want to restrict the San Francisco billboard market. The want to keep new advertising agencies out of the City. On December 13, 2001, the San Francisco Republican County Central Committee passed a resolution against Proposition G Proposition G has little or nothing to do with the environment. Market control and owners' property rights are the key issues connected with Proposition G.

Vote "NO" on Proposition G. Proposition G is about restraint of trade and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.

-Citizens Against Tax Waste.
-Dr. Terence Faulkner, J. D. Former California Republican Party Executive Committee

Rebuttal to Arguments Against

Local leaders, neighborhood groups and environmental organizations agree: Vote YES on Prop G.

Proposition G, which would limit additional billboards in San Francisco, is championed by community groups that are dedicated to protecting San Francisco's beauty and unique character. This effort to protect the city's character has been opposed by the billboard industry, which has profited from the sharp increase in billboards over the last decade. In the last year, a broad range of community groups and elected officials came together to put Prop. G on the ballot to halt this alarming increase in billboards. The Republican Party, the only known group opposing the measure to date, brings up strange arguments against Prop. G such as the "Sherman Anti-Trust Act" and "market controls." The Republicans are trying to confuse a very simple issue:

whether San Franciscans want to limit more billboards and thereby protect the beauty and uniqueness of our city. Proposition G will make our city a better place to live: It will halt visual blight, protect the integrity of our neighborhoods, and limit the over-commercialization of our public space. That's why the League of Conservation Voters, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Parks Council and San Francisco Tomorrow agree vote YES on Prop. G!

Dee Dee Workman Executive Director, San Francisco Beautiful

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Created: April 19, 2002 10:59 PDT
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