City Council to vote on electronic billboards near L.B. freeways

Anyone remember First Lady Lady Bird Johnson and her drive to beautify America? Take down billboards and plant wildflowers. Billboards are a blight. Beyond that, we certainly don't need anything distracting drivers from what they're supposed to be doing on the freeways. The city would love to have another million dollars to spend, but they should find that someplace else.

Billboards (digital or not) are an advertisement for questionable neighborhoods. If you see billboards along a freeway, you know that you are in a bad area. Why would Long Beach want to advertise its problems? Certainly, there are no billboards in economically prosperous neighborhoods. Billboards along Long Beach freeways will not attract business to Long Beach, it will repell it. Digital billboards will also be a traffic nuisance, but would make the ambulance chasers happy. If Long Beach City Council approves the billboards, it will be the same thing as erecting gravestones wherever they are placed.

Long Beach has enough problems without adding billboards to an ever-increasing aesthetic failure as evidenced by the Downtown condo. overbuild. Now wonder Long Beach is know as "the Ghetto by the sea."

The fix is in, the dice are loaded and the cards are marked. And, the suckers don't even know what's going on.

Check the public records of the election campaign contributions received by members of Long Beach City Council and you will find an interesting contributor, Clear Channel.

Clear Channel Outdoor advertising is a worldwide outdoor advertising specialists. The parent company, Clear Channel Communications Inc., reported revenue of $1.84 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007, a 4% increase over the $1.77 billion reported in the fourth quarter of 2006, according to their website.

"We impact customers through a variety of outdoor advertising products designed especially to create the most visual awareness possible. Outdoor advertising is great because you can't turn it off, throw it away, or click on the next page. That means your message is reaching consumers everywhere — all the time, everyday.
Outdoor advertising is more than just billboards…Times Square spectaculars, street furniture, airport displays, mall displays, taxi advertising, mass transit displays and mobile ads are just some of the advertising products Clear Channel Outdoor developed with your needs in mind."

Something stinks! I cannot find a listing for an "Orange-based Media Management Services Inc." in yellowbook.com , the online yellow pages. A google search does not show a Media Management Services Inc. in Orange County. Who is Michael Pauls and where is his business located?

LB born wrote:

Long Beach has enough problems without adding billboards to an ever-increasing aesthetic failure as evidenced by the Downtown condo. overbuild. Now wonder Long Beach is know as "the Ghetto by the sea."

As a long time home owner and resident of Long Beach I had never heard that we are refered to as The Ghetto by the Sea. That is sad to me as this city with all its flaws is still a great place to live. Did you just make this label up or if not please let us know where you have heard it and if that is one persons idea or the famous unknown "They."

E-Billboards, ain't going to happen. Mark my word. Next few days we will all come to hear.

Danny Wilcox wrote:

<quoted text>
As a long time home owner and resident of Long Beach I had never heard that we are refered to as The Ghetto by the Sea. That is sad to me as this city with all its flaws is still a great place to live. Did you just make this label up or if not please let us know where you have heard it and if that is one persons idea or the famous unknown "They."

As one born and raised in L.B., I agree that there are "some" nice places in which to live and overall
L.B.is ok but not as nice as it was until the 70's.
No,I didn't make-up that expression.