Half reviewed signs are ‘illegal’

Planning Department Ombudsman Dan Sider probably knows more about billboards than anyone in the city. He heads Planning’s GASP –- the General Advertising Sign Program -- which tries to improve enforcement of signage laws. In a year and a half, GASP has identified 1,509 general advertising signs citywide and evaluated more than half of them.

“Forty-seven percent of the signs we reviewed are completely illegal,” Sider said. “They had no permit and were required to be removed. Another 23 percent reviewed were out of compliance with their permit -- they were bigger or taller, for example. The rest were legal.”

Sider said that building owners and sign companies make so much money the incentives to violate laws are great. GASP’s penalties, keyed to size, also can be great. If an illegal 2,500-square-foot sign isn’t removed within 30 days of notice, the responsible party -- the building owner and the sign company together -- rack up $2,500 a day in penalties.

Sider said he couldn’t comment on Prop. D or, if it passes, how likely it is that property owners in the sign district would become scofflaws.

The program has had successes, but at a cost. As of Aug. 3, 227 signs had been removed and fierce legal challenges are typical, Sider said. The latest program report shows total revenues of $143,425 for the first quarter of fiscal 2008-09, with $50,000 of that from fines and penalties. Expenditures were $199,633 for the same period -- and $123,000 of that went to city attorney staff.

--Marjorie Beggs

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