Some Billboards in Venice and Mar Vista Lack Proper Permits

Four billboards in Venice and Mar Vista lack proper permits, according to an L.A. Building and Safety Department study released Tuesday. 

Throughout Los Angeles, about a third of the 5,874 billboards faced possible code violations, according to DBS. In Venice and Mar Vista, that number was less than 10 percent.

Three billboards out of a total of 60 in Venice have no permit – two owned by Lamar Outdoor, a wall advertisement on 38 Washington Blvd. and a pole advertisement on 1033 Abbot Kinney Blvd. A third in violation is a roof ad on 2490 Lincoln Blvd. owned by Clear Channel Outdoor.

One wall advertisement owned by Lamar on 12904 Palms Blvd. in Mar Vista also lacks a permit.

In October, a appellate judge showed support for a ruling that would ban digital billboards in L.A. There are about 100 digital billboards throughout the city and there may be as many as 700 depending on the outcome of a pending judicial ruling. The permit violations released Tuesday include all digital and non-digital billboards. 

The court case dates back to a 2006 lawsuit filed by Summit Media, which was not included in a deal that the city attorney at the time made with CBS and Clear Channel, giving the media companies permits for 420 digital signs.

A Superior Court judge in 2009 ruled that the settlement was illegal and called it “poison” – forcing the city to stop issuing digital sign permits to the two media companies. However, 100 digital signs went up, mostly on the Westside, before the moratorium. 

The appellate court is expected to reach a decision in January.