SIMI CONSIDERS RULES FOR NEWSPAPER RACKS.

Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - The City Council is considering regulating newspaper racks around town, looking at uniform standards to cut down on clutter.

Simi Valley has an estimated 260 news racks on streets and sidewalks; some are metal, some plastic, and they vary in color.

The council asked the city staff last week to come up with ways to make the stands more uniform, which could include regulations on the make and model, size, height, color and even location.

``We want to cut down on clutter,'' Councilman Glen Becerra said. ``If you're going to have that, it should look uniform, clean and nice.

``We're just trying to clean up the look of the city. We're tackling the bigger issues on a day-to-day basis - crime, schools, housing - but this is another thing.''

One way of addressing potential eyesores is to provide city-owned enclosures or encasements that could be used by the various publications and could cost several hundred thousand dollars.

City officials were asked to meet with representatives of news media organizations that distribute in the area to reach a compromise on the regulations.

In the coming weeks, the city staff will research costs, types of news racks available and how other cities have addressed the issue, as well as possible legal concerns.

Among the proposed rules is one that would require boxes to be the same shade of blue, green, white or brown and one to designate locations where racks would be allowed.

``We want it to look nice,'' said Councilwoman Michelle Foster. ``It's very cluttered and random and needs to be cleaned up.''

Angie Valencia-Martinez, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com