EDITORIAL : AMEND THE BANNER RULES.

ONE of the more ridiculous provisions in the proposal to change city rules for the types of banners that can fly from light poles is the ban on pro-community banners, such as the Valley of the Stars campaign that pays homage to the San Fernando Valley's Hollywood connection.

According to the proposed rules, which the City Council is scheduled to consider on Friday, banners that do not promote a city-authorized event or convey only a concept would be disallowed.

Under those highly restrictive conditions, the Valley of the Stars banners would not fly.

The colorful banners, sponsored by the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, do not promote a specific event, just a concept to honor achievement, volunteerism, government and community pride.

Whatever happened to community pride in this city?

While we're not going to suggest that the new rules, drafted by Chief Legislative Analyst Ron Deaton's staff, were intended as a slight to the Valley (though we wouldn't put it past Deaton), that's the actual effect.

Since the city was embarrassed for failing to prevent the issuance of permits for purely commercial entities - like the Dodgers, ABC-TV and the San Antonio Winery - there have been attempts to rewrite the rules to limit the number of commercial logos on banners.

In the knee-jerk response that followed, Deaton's office has denied the city a potentially lucrative source of revenue and come up with onerous and stupid rules.

Among the proposed rules are having a two-tiered fee system in which nonprofit groups are charged $10 per banner, and those with corporate logos will be charged $50 per banner; banning commercial banners; limiting how long banners may hang to 60 days; having the city retain ownership of the banners when they are removed, permitting them to be destroyed; and when the promotion calls for more than 200 banners, forcing the flags to be distributed equally in the city's 15 council districts.

Come on. What a bunch of bunk.

How about some common sense? For starters, the council should eliminate the ban on so-called concept banners and exempt those banners from the 60-day and 200-banner rules.

Having banners promoting community pride certainly sounds good to us.

But taking away the ability of community groups or chambers of commerce to use the banners as promotional items or to show pride in their neighborhoods is a shameful act.

City residents are crying out for City Hall to listen and make life more fun in the big city. But what happens? City Hall wags its fingers, makes a decree and slams the door in the faces of residents.

So we say the following to the council members who represent the Valley:

If you're proud to represent the Valley of the Stars, you'll see to it that these absurd rules aren't implemented and allow our pro-Valley banners to stay in place.

We'll let the voters know what you did.