Blog: A Bright, Shiny, Digital Billboard for Eagle Rock Boulevard?

Just as I was preparing to celebrate the long-awaited shut-down of 100 L.A. digital billboards last week, I ran across a blogpost by Dennis Hathaway on the Ban Billboard Blight website about a company that's apparently determined to build a digital billboard right on Eagle Rock Boulevard.

According to Hathaway' post, a Louisiana-based firm called Lamar Advertising is suing the city of Los Angeles for the right to build 17 new digital billboards in neighborhoods all across L.A., including one in our very own Eagle Rock/Glassell Park neighborhood, at 3810 Eagle Rock Blvd. (See map.)

Even more alarming, the billboard company has asked the judge to waive any fees or penalties for which they might be liable if they decide to go ahead and build the digital sign while their suit works its way through the courts. Obviously, if the judge grants Lamar that concession, the billboard company would almost certainly start work on building a full-size digital billboard at 3810 Eagle Rock Blvd., and anywhere else they own a sign, as soon as physically practical.  

One knowledgeable observer tells me that Lamar's suit is so flimsy that the company is probably hoping to extract some choice concessions from the City Attorney in exchange for dropping the suit. If that's the case, the company would probably prefer to work out a quiet deal behind closed doors, preferably before the public even gets wind of their plan. But there's no reason we have to go along.

If the thought of waking up to the sight of a brand new blinking digital billboard on Eagle Rock Boulevard gives you a chill, please share your feelings now with your Council Member, your neighborhood council and your local residents association. 

To that end, here are a few contact numbers that might come in handy:

City Council District 13: 
Eric Garcetti: councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org

City Council District 14:
José Huizar: councilmember.huizar@lacity.org
Tanner Blackman: District 14 planning director, tanner.blackman@lacity.org

Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council:
President, Michael Nogueira: President@EagleRockCouncil.org
Michelle Frier, Land Use Co-Chair: SubDistrict4@EagleRockCouncil.org
Oren Bitan, Land Use Co-Chair: SubDistrict3@EagleRockCouncil.org
Matt Harrington, Take Back the Boulevard Liaison: SubDistrict5@EagleRockCouncil.org

Glassell Park Neighborhood Council:
Ruby De Vera, President: RBDeVera@sbcglobal.net
Balthazar Vega, Vice President: b.vega@pucschools.org

The Eagle Rock Association:
Bob Gotham, President: President@TERA90041.org

Glassell Park Improvement Association: gpia90065@gmail.com