No More Mobile Billboards Say Loma Linda's City Staff

The mobile signs that have crept onto Loma Linda streets are blight and a safety hazard and need be banned, say city officials.

The City Council has scheduled a public hearing on the possible matter at Tuesday during a regular meeting.

City code enforcement officials put a spotlight on the issue after noticing a couple of trailers that had been parked by their owners for a long time.

At least one trailer on Redlands Boulevard is the kind of trailer that is hitched to truck.

It’s parked on the street, which creates a hazard for drivers, said Loma Linda Fire Marshall James Gray. The longer the trailer is on the street the greater the chance that a vehicle could run into it.

These trailers are also parked for long stretches, he said.

Currently state law allows vehicles to park for 72 consecutive hours before it must be moved. To impound a trailer, it must have received at least five citations. Some of these sign owners are working the system, officials said.

But California Assembly Bill 2756, introduced by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, would give municipalities more power to regulate mobile billboards. The city’s work on the ordinance to ban them is in anticipation of that state’s bill.

“We don’t have any intention of regulating free speech or controlling content with any such sign,” said Loma Linda City Attorney Richard E. Holdaway. “However, the state legislature has given us certain authority to regulate the placement of these signs on out public streets.”

The council meets at 7 p.m. inside the council chambers, 25541 Barton Road. Information: (909) 799-2800