Council approves pilot allowing permitted advertising on construction walls in CD10, directs city attorney to draft implementing ordinance

The Los Angeles City Council on Aug. 7 approved a pilot program that will allow permitted advertising on certain temporary construction walls in Council District 10, as part of an effort to reduce graffiti and support community‑based graffiti removal. The measure was approved after an amendment directing the City Attorney to draft an implementing ordinance; the final vote was recorded as 11 in favor and 1 opposed.

Councilmember Nate Holden introduced amendments to the original proposal, asking that subsection g be deleted and that the City Attorney prepare an ordinance to implement the pilot. Holden said the program would provide a tool for community‑based organizations and contractors to abate nuisance postings and graffiti; he described it as a proactive means of addressing sign proliferation and graffiti in commercial and industrial areas.

Operation Clean Sweep and the Department of Building and Safety described how the pilot would operate: a contractor or community‑based organization would likely be paid directly to perform abatement, and participating projects would be limited to commercial and industrial zones with solid temporary construction walls. Building and Safety said posters permitted under the pilot would not apply to residential zones. Delphia Jones of Operation Clean Sweep told the council the contractor payment structure had not been finalized but was expected to be paid directly by the applicant or promoter.

Opponents raised design and visual‑clutter concerns. Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski and others said the program effectively opens additional surfaces to advertising and urged limits; at least one councilmember proposed adding a restriction to prevent the pilot from allowing facing‑residential advertising similar to the billboard ordinance standards. Supporters said the pilot would also require contributing to graffiti‑abatement efforts in the vicinity and could reduce illegal postings on poles and walls.

Councilmember Garcetti asked whether vendors would be willing to allocate a portion of the display area for community art or nonprofit notices; vendors said they had previously donated space voluntarily to nonprofit art groups in some cases. Council discussion also addressed the geographic scope (a pilot limited to CD10) and the operational detail that the poster permit would remain an option for short‑term construction postings while this program would extend the length of permitted displays for temporary walls tied to larger projects.

The clerk recorded the vote as “11 ayes, 1 no.” The council asked the City Attorney to draft the ordinance language necessary to implement the pilot and directed participating departments to report back with program details, including community‑protection language that would limit residential impacts.