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Council to consider billboard disclosure rule; staff to bring ordinance back Friday
Summary
Councilmember Mszkowski introduced a motion to require sponsorship disclosure on political billboards; staff recommended a proportional readability standard (3% of sign area) and the Council continued the item for further drafting and examples, with a target return on Friday.
Councilmember Mszkowski moved to close a recognized loophole in political-ad disclosure by requiring that independent-expenditure billboard ads carry a clear statement identifying who paid for the ad. Staff advised that the identification should occupy no less than 3% of the overall advertising area for large-format (supergraphic) signs to meet readability standards.
Councilmembers discussed readability, enforceability and whether to adopt a temporary rule for the current election or a permanent ordinance; staff and the ethics office recommended bringing back an ordinance. One concern raised was proportional readability (letter size vs percent of area); industry representatives had shown a proportional example but the Council asked staff to return with a visual example so members could assess legibility at speed.
The Council continued the item and asked the City Attorney and the ethics office to prepare an ordinance to return on Friday (out-of-order if necessary) with any minor changes the Council requested. Members also discussed whether to adopt a separate permanent ordinance concurrently; staff said that option is possible but would require additional time.
The item remains continued to Friday for further drafting and review.
