L.B. officials demand removal of giant Patron tequila sign
If the sign hadn't been removed in a timely manner, condominium association officials could have faced fines and possible jail time, the letter stated. Mike Ondeck, spokesman for Leonard and Co. Inc., the outdoor advertising company that facilitated securing an advertiser and placing the banner on the building, said he didn't apply for a permit before putting the ad up Sunday. City officials first contacted him Monday, saying the banner violated Long Beach Municipal Code.
Ondeck said he asked if he could apply for a permit.
"At first he said no, it's too big, it doesn't comply with our sign code," Ondeck said of the code enforcement officer with whom he had spoken.
City municipal code says promotional banners "shall not exceed one square foot of banner area for each linear foot of building street frontage and shall not exceed 100 square feet, whichever is less."
The Patr¢n banner clearly exceeded the 100-square-foot limit. LB Press Telegram
04/17/08 The city of Long Beach can't handle its tequila. At least, not an 11-story Patron Tequila advertisement that city officials say was placed illegally on the west side of the historic Villa Riviera condominiums.
The city prosecutor's office sent a letter Tuesday to six Villa Riviera Condominium Association board members and residents that says the advertising banner is a public nuisance because it was placed without the appropriate permits and must be taken down.
If the banner isn't removed immediately, misdemeanor charges could be filed against the property owners, according to the letter, which was made available Wednesday to the Press-Telegram.
The banner was put up Sunday in preparation for the annual Grand Prix this weekend, according to Ana Maria McGuan, finance secretary for the Villa Riviera, which is located at 800 E. Ocean Blvd. The banner is visible from the oceanfront streets of the Grand Prix race course, where about 180,000 people are expected to view the event.
McGuan said the Villa Riviera board was approached earlier this year by outdoor advertising firm Leonard and Co. Inc. about hanging an advertisement on the scaffolding already in place as part of a renovation of the 1929 condominium building. The company handled all of the details of securing an advertiser and placing the banner, McGuan said.
"The association has no responsibility for the permit or how the situation is handled," McGuan said. "The association is just as shocked as the city that permits have not been pulled, so at the moment we're trying to get to the bottom of what's going on." More at Long Beach Press Telegram