Advertising displays: City of Los Angeles: exemption: ordinance.

The bill text was reformatted from the official chaptered document format (with STATE OF CALIFORNIA header, page numbers, and traditional legislative layout) to a web page version that includes navigation elements, a search interface, version history list, and a digest key showing vote threshold (2/3), no appropriation, no fiscal committee, and no local program.

New Section 5272.3 exempts advertising displays on convention center premises in a specific downtown Los Angeles area (bounded by Wilshire Blvd, South Figueroa St, I-10, and SR-110) from most of the Outdoor Advertising Act, provided the convention center has at least 15,000 seats and exceeds 700,000 square feet of total space.

Section 5272.5 was amended to require Caltrans to include support for convention center advertising displays (in addition to arena displays) when renegotiating agreements with the Federal Highway Administration on state obligations under the Highway Beautification Act.

Convention center displays must be authorized by a city ordinance that specifies number of signs, maximum individual signage area, minimum sign separation, illumination restrictions (refresh rate, scrolling, brightness), and illuminated sign hours of operation. Displays cannot advertise tobacco, firearms, or sexually explicit material.

If a display is a message center, the owner must make space available for public service announcements (Amber Alerts, commute times, drunk driving awareness, accident reports, emergency communications) either on the display itself, on another display they control, or by funding installation of a new message center display.

The vote requirement changed from a simple majority to a two-thirds supermajority, indicating the bill likely needed additional support to pass.

If a federal agency notifies that the display will reduce federal aid highway funds, the city and owner may negotiate remediation with Caltrans. If no agreement is reached, the owner must remove all advertising copy within 60 days or face a $10,000 per day civil fine imposed by Caltrans.

The City of Los Angeles has primary responsibility for ensuring displays comply with the ordinance and this section. If the city fails to ensure compliance after 30 days' written notice from Caltrans, it must indemnify Caltrans for all costs incurred to enforce compliance or defend legal challenges.

The definition of 'customary maintenance' in Section 5208.3 was narrowed: it no longer requires maintaining the display 'in its existing physical configuration,' only that it maintains 'existing advertising copy area dimensions.' This allows structural changes as long as the ad space size is preserved.

The bill now includes an urgency clause declaring it takes effect immediately, citing 'urgent public health and safety need for economic revitalization in downtown corridors of cities.'

A state mandate reimbursement section was added. No reimbursement is required for costs related to creating or changing crimes, but if the Commission on State Mandates finds other mandated costs, reimbursement must be made under Government Code Part 7.

Entire new Section 5272.3 was removed. This section had created an exemption from the Outdoor Advertising Act for advertising displays on the premises of convention centers in a specific Los Angeles area, with requirements including 15,000 or more seats and over 700,000 square feet of space.

Removed the amendment to Section 5272.5 that would have required the California Department of Transportation to include support for convention center advertising displays as a priority when renegotiating agreements with the Federal Highway Administration.

Removed the federal aid highway fund reduction provisions that had required display owners to remove all advertising copy within 60 days of a federal notice, with a $10,000 per day civil fine for non-compliance.

Removed the state mandates reimbursement provision (former Section 3) that addressed whether local agencies would be reimbursed for costs mandated by the act.

Header changed from enrolled bill format (with passage dates and clerk/secretary signature blocks) to chaptered law format with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' and 'CHAPTER 707' designation.

Approval and filing dates added: Approved by Governor October 13, 2025; Filed with Secretary of State October 13, 2025.

Page numbers changed from 95 to 94 and page headers changed from 'AB 770' to 'Ch. 707' throughout the document.

The definition of 'customary maintenance' in Section 5208.3 now explicitly requires that the activity maintain the display's 'existing advertising copy area dimensions,' not just its physical configuration. This prevents a display owner from using maintenance as a pretext to resize the ad space.

The post-count requirement was changed from 'without increasing the number of posts' to 'while keeping or reducing the number of posts.' This makes it explicit that reducing the number of posts during maintenance is allowed, though the practical effect is similar since 'without increasing' already permitted reduction.

Assembly Members Gipson and Wicks were added as coauthors of the bill.