CITY TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL SIGNS.

Byline: Terry Kanakri Daily News Staff Writer

The city may soon send code enforcers out into commercial areas to look for violators of Simi Valley's temporary sign ordinance, which officials say is being disregarded by some businesses.

Saying illegal signs are cluttering some business sections of Simi Valley, the City Council wants to take a more active role in enforcing its sign codes.

"There's a handful of businesspeople in this community who make it really tough for the whole business community," Councilwoman Barbara Williamson said Tuesday. "If we don't do something about it now, it's going to get out of hand and then we're really going to have a mess."

It is currently illegal to post a sign on any utility pole, existing sign, tree or shrub, and fire hydrants, officials said.

Temporary commercial signs under 12 square feet may be posted for no more than five days on private property. Noncommercial signs are allowed for 120 days on private property.

The City Council recently amended its sign ordinance to give city employees the power to immediately remove temporary signs on public property that violate city law.

The city now wants to send a message to businesses that violations of its sign ordinance will not be tolerated on private property as well. Officials say the problem of illegal signs is not as serious on public property as it is on private property.

Mayor Greg Stratton said that he believes eliminating illegal signs is in the best interest of the community as a whole, and believes a majority of residents is in support of the City Council's intentions.

"The looks of the community is more than aesthetics," he explained. "The looks of the community has to do with how people feel about the community. It has to do with law and order. A community that looks nice makes people take care of it, they feel attached to it, they protect it. A community that looks tacky is an invitation to criminals to stop there and commit crime."

The City Council has directed staff to return with a plan to become more aggressive in sign code enforcement. The staff has been asked to look at a reassignment of employees to designate workers to go out in the community to look for violators.

The City Council does not wish to hire new code enforcers.

Deputy City Manager Don Penman, who noted a staff recommendation is expected in about 30 to 60 days, said the council's direction is that the city's sign law be strictly enforced.

"(Code enforcers) will not wait around to react to complaints," he said.

"They will go out and initiate enforcement by either doing visual inspections of an area or based on knowledge from the past of a large number of complaints."

Nancy Bender, the Chamber of Commerce's chief executive officer, said Tuesday that the 845-member organization is awaiting the staff recommendation and plans to carefully study its contents.

However, Bender said the chamber has some reservations about the approach city employees would take to enforce the law on private property.

"If they intend to go on private property and be aggressive, that's something that I'd have to look at and see how they plan to do that," Bender said.

Councilwoman Williamson said she understands why some businesses may have reservations about the city's pro-active stance.

"The last thing they want is to be hassled by the city and I don't blame them. But the last thing I want is for Simi Valley to become another San Fernando Valley," she said.

Bender said the chamber has attempted to inform businesses about the city's sign ordinance, including in its monthly newsletter, and will continue to do what it can to educate the members.