Home › News › Local News
Council approves harsher restrictions on fliers
STORY TOOLS 
More from Local NewsThe Simi Valley City Council unanimously approved an anti-littering ordinance Monday that would prohibit fliers and other printed material from being placed on vehicles in the city.
Under the ordinance, which goes into effect next month, the city attorney's office could charge violations as infractions or misdemeanors. Violators could be fined $100 for the first infraction, while misdemeanors would be punishable by fines of up to $1,000 or six months in jail.
Violators would also be subject to civil fines of $100 for the first offense, $200 for a second offense and $500 for subsequent offenses.
The ordinance states that privately owned vehicles are not public forums and that placement of printed material on cars can be regulated in an effort to eliminate litter and blight.
Council member Barbra Williamson requested the ordinance, saying she wanted something done to stop a nude-dancing club in Canoga Park from placing business cards on cars throughout Simi Valley.
Williamson said that when the business representatives were told to stop, they said it was within their First Amendment rights to continue.
Simi Valley city officials noted that a similar anti-littering ordinance in Catlettsburg, Ky., was recently upheld by a federal court.
Simi Valley's ordinance says that alternative channels of communications, such as handing a flier to a driver in a parked car, are still allowed.
Posted by shaver_one on May 13, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wish this new law would be made countywide, or even statewide. These fliers are as bad as spam e-mail, and political mailers.
Posted by Legal_American on May 13, 2008 at 11:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope this applies to the council members’ themselves around election time. Simi Valley gets flooded with political garbage that doesn't get removed for weeks.
Posted by hapkid0tico on May 14, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We need Realtors to remove those stupid magnets from their cars as well. That is blight!
Posted by 62vette on May 14, 2008 at 1:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
An employee of a "flyer" company tripped over a cement parking stop while placing unwanted flyers on windshileds, fell down, got hurt & is now suing the shopping center owner. No work comp. Since flyer placer was not breaking the law, shopping center owner's insurance will be paying out. Gotta' love lawyers!
Good job Simi.
Posted by sparks240 on May 14, 2008 at 6:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Is the strip club any good?
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.