When it comes to stopping digital billboards in San Jose, don’t expect our City Council to come to the rescue.

That’s because the current council—except Matt Mahan—still favors the special interest billboard lobby, despite a public survey showing residents overwhelmingly oppose digital billboards along San Jose freeways and downtown, and despite the Airport Commission recommending against billboards at the airport, twice. Our group, No Digital Billboards in San Jose (NDBSJ) has been following the issue closely and over the last few years has written 11 op-eds on the subject.

Notwithstanding an election year with new councilmembers to be elected, most of the council is still intent on opening up San Jose to digital billboards that are profitable for billboard companies. NDBSJ has confirmed the city is actively working to approve additional digital billboards. We’re talking about off-premise signs with commercial advertisements of products and services, such as soda or cell phones, not available at the location of the sign. We have no problem with code-compliant, on-premise signs identifying a business, retailer or restaurant whether digital or non-digital.

So, what’s the solution to keeping 22 or more digital billboards off public property and another 75 digital billboards from being permitted on private property? We think it’s putting a measure on the San Jose ballot to reinstate the ban on new billboards on public and private property, prevent the conversion of existing conventional billboards to digital and pledge the city to do everything within the law to remove the maximum number of existing billboards still standing since the 1972 and 1985 bans.

Another provision could be prohibiting the council from monkeying around with a newly voter-approved law without another vote of the people.

Now, don’t get us wrong. NDBSJ will continue to ask candidates for mayor and City Council in favor of billboards to reconsider their position, and appeal for them to base their decisions on public input and the myriad of facts related to the negative impact of billboards on the environment and safety.

We will also continue to ask billboard proponents to justify their bogus arguments, and hold them accountable at council meetings. We’re talking about the claims that billboards will bring more money to the city than they will cost—which they definitely will not; reduce blighted existing billboards—not by enough to matter; and improve the downtown economy—for the 100th time, show us the evidence.

Truth is, a ballot measure will put the issue of new billboards squarely in the hands of the people who can and will save San Jose from becoming the billboard capital of Northern California, and that’s the voters. As a result, residents will not be turned into a captive audience subjected to unwanted commercial messages for which there is no off switch.

And reassuringly, San Jose without billboards can retain its historic character, architectural integrity and natural environment, all adding up to preserving its unique identity, which otherwise would be transformed by intrusive commercial messages into Anyplace, USA.

Encouragingly, many of this year’s candidates for City Council have expressed support for a billboard ban on the ballot, based on their responses to our recent Billboard Questionnaire. And you can help by emailing us your thoughts about a billboard ban ballot measure at [email protected]

Given an outpouring of public support, we will rally, mobilize and lead to victory the already existing majority of voters in favor of a comprehensive and everlasting prohibition on new billboards in San Jose.

Jason Hemp, Les Levitt and John Miller are co-founders of No Digital Billboards in San Jose.

Our journalism is made possible by reader donations. If you value what we do, please contribute and help keep this vital resource accessible to all.

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

We’re changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering independent news to the nation’s 10th largest city.

Why does the nations 10th biggest city feel like the 30th? Because people stop growth to an ever evolving. Embrace how many people live here and run their businesses to be bigger and better than SJ was 10 or 20 years ago. Do you want people to know San Jose is the capital of silicon valley or not?

Thank you for reminding me of another reason I voted for Matt Mahan today. He listened to what WE WANTED, which was NO on new digital billboards! 91% of people were either “strongly opposed” or “somewhat opposed” to new digital billboards in the city and Mahan heard us!

To your point, “given an outpouring of public support, we will rally, mobilize and lead to victory the already existing majority of voters in favor of a comprehensive and everlasting prohibition on new billboards in San Jose.”

Yes we will! I’m ready to help! Thank you to everyone at “No Digital Billboards in San Jose”. I appreciate all you’ve done.

Graffiti and piles of trash everywhere = ok

Billboards generating revenue for the city = not ok

No one said “Graffiti and piles of trash everywhere = ok”. Only you said that. I pick up trash everyday and am working toward finding ways to address it. Just because something creates revenue surely does not mean we should say it’s okay.

The majority of people in San Jose think the digital billboards are a type of trash. Voting on it makes sense. You are free to vote to keep digital billboards going. I am free to vote against them. May the majority get what they want.

Not sure if I’m pro or con … but come on – how misleading and sensationalized is that ridiculous photo. This makes your argument weak because your example photo is oversized and ridiculously placed. No one would install a bill board in such a location. Make your argument – but don’t over-exaggerate your illustration. You come across like chicken little.

Wow Ridiculous….have you been to Los Angeles? It looks like this X’s 100.

So, if anything, this photo does not show the reality of the ugliness of digital billboards.

My tax dollars should not go to pay for a billboard, nor for once again spending time reviewing another issue.

Whoever wants a billboard, they should pay – just like if pilots want to keep Reid Airport open, they should pay for the improvements they “need” for pilot safety.

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

We’re changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering independent news to the nation’s 10th largest city.

Now in the App Store and Google Play

San José residents deserve a trusted source for unbiased, independent political news. And we’re here to provide it.

San José Spotlight is the city’s first nonprofit, community-supported digital news organization. We’re changing the face of journalism by providing an innovative model for delivering reliable, truthful news to the nation’s 10th largest city. We’re partnering with you – the readers – to make it happen. This is your newsroom.

San José Spotlight is a project of the San José News Bureau, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization | Tax ID: 82-5355128. | All donations are tax-deductible

Thanks, I’m not interested or already a subscriber

Subscribe to our daily newsletter—it's FREE!

Thanks, I’m not interested or already a subscriber