We Need Your Support! What Happens in LA…
A situation arose in LA that could prove devastating to businesses of every size. We need you to join us and other industry stakeholders to save on-premise EMC signs.
Six years ago, the City of Los Angeles proposed a very thorough rewrite of their sign ordinance that would have set a terrible precedent.
What happens in LA often spreads to other cities and states.
Our view from the beginning was that the City of LA does not have a sign code issue, but rather the city has a severe enforcement issue.
In the ensuing years, CSA and various business organizations all came together to successfully halt enactment of all negative provisions put forth by the Planning Department. They finally understood the difference between off-site billboards and on-site signs.
Sign Lights Community Spirit
14 years ago a local businessman in Carlsbad, California named Carlton Lund began dreaming about putting up an arched sign over a downtown street which would welcome everyone who saw it. It took years but he teamed up with the local Chamber of Commerce and a national business headquartered in town and pushed ahead. Federal Heath Sign Company worked with him on numerous designs until the many stakeholders were in agreement. TaylorMade Golf Company agreed to donate the funds and finally all the pieces were in place!
That is just the beginning of the story… The community was buzzing about this sign – it was so much more than just a beautiful sign. It symbolized the spirit, the pride, and the strength of community this small seaside town had built over the years. Finally the big day was nearly at hand.
Federal Heath fabricated the signage and the steel structure erecting it all in one piece during the night of December 29. Former CSA Board member and past President, Ray Smith, was the project manager. Along with the sign, Federal Heath coordinated the electrical work, sidewalk repair, street closure/traffic control and decorative light fixtures.
The event was widely followed by local press and TV stations. The media coverage was phenomenal, the air electric with excitement. On January 8th, the city had a dedication event and officially lit the sign for an estimated crowd of 5000 citizens- and cheers erupted! This video captures the exuberant energy and the pride of a community, affirming that when a vision is matched with expertise and support, a town can become something bigger than a collection of residents.
And as far as signs go, this one is pretty remarkable! Smith reported that though the sign was 82 feet long it matched up with the pin connections with only an inch of tolerance. “Pretty amazing making something that large and still fitting like a glove”.
To see a second video with the sign actually being installed, view this minute and a half YouTube video.
Fresno Neon Sign Company
Lighting Up the Valley Since 1932
Fresno Neon Sign Company is one of Central California’s oldest and most well-respected sign manufacturers. With clients from across the state and recognizable projects dating back to the 1930s, they are truly a part of valley history. Specializing in custom design, fabrication, installation and service of all sign types, they have evolved from just neon to a full service sign shop.
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Mixing Business with Pleasure a Good Thing
The first two Dinner Meetings of the California Sign Association fiscal year offered the opportunity to exercise mental muscles, and other muscles. Education seminars followed by rousing dinner activities took place in Anaheim on November 4th, followed by Livermore, in northern California on the 13th.
Both dinner events were open to members and prospective members, kicking off with a two hour presentation by U.L. Engineers, 3:30pm – 5:30pm. The engineers conducted a well-attended training session on the new Retrofitting rules and regulations. They were able to explain in detail what is being required by U.L. to properly retrofit a listed sign with new LED components in the field.
Attendees who also registered for the dinner event that followed then shared a delicious dinner with a healthy side of networking. In Anaheim, CSA hosted a terrific speaker, Lisa Reid. Reid is a presenter with Productive Learning – a unique personal growth company.
Safety Seminar and Dinner Meeting, Fresno
Attend one or both events!
3:30 – 5:30 PM
Join CSA members and prospective members at CSA’s Central California Safety Seminar, followed by a networking dinner meeting and discussion. Fall Protection – Protect your company’s future by furnishing and understanding safety equipment, as well as programs, offering compliance solutions for OSHA safety, health, and environmental regulations. An easy to understand, common sense approach to complying with the regulations placed on the construction, general and manufacturing industry, makes good business sense – minimize your company’s liability and exposure and create a positive safety culture, along with saving dollars without affecting production!
Lorie Baugh of Safety Compliance Company delivers a powerful seminar! Then stay for dinner and a motivational sales presentation!
5:30 – 6:30 PM
No Host Cocktails and Networking
6:30 – 9:00 PM
Dinner and Presentation: Be enlightened & entertained by Dale Bierce with Sandler Training!
From childhood to retirement, we are selling and negotiating!
Discover how to strategize as part of a larger behavioral plan, supported by the appropriate attitude and outlook.
– Learn how to sell yourself and/or ideas
– Challenge yourself and acquire the skills you need to succeed in today’s dynamic atmosphere
– Uncover the barriers to success and improve your effectiveness with a plan and a purpose!
May a City require CEQA approval for On-Premise Signs?
There is an express exemption under CEQA for on-premise signs. Public Resources Code Section 21084 includes a list of classes of projects “which have been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment and which shall, therefore, be exempt from the provisions of CEQA.” See 14 Cal Code of Regulations Section 15300, et seq (CEQA Guidelines).
Pursuant to 14 CCR Section 15311, dealing with Accessory Structures (Class 11), on-premise signs are categorically exempt and a negative declaration should issue. The authority cited for this provision is Public Resource Code sections 21083 and 21087.
New Worker’s Comp Burden May Affect Sign Contractors
AB 1897, signed by the Governor in September, is intended to combat the underground economy, by making a party who hires labor through “labor contractors” also responsible for wages and the purchase of Worker’s Compensation coverage.
- The bill will take effect January 1, 2015.
- The bill applies to “client employers”, defined as a business entity that is provided workers to perform labor within its “usual course of business” from a “labor contractor”.
CSA Update: California Energy Commission (CEC)
The C.E.C. was started in 1974 and directed to devise ways for California to avoid adding any new power plants. Since that time, California per capita energy use has remained flat compared to a 33% increase in the rest of the U.S. This has been accomplished using a combination of conservation measures and ever tightening efficiency mandates. In other words, use less electricity and more energy efficient appliances and devices. The 2013 Code (The Building Energy and Efficiency Standards) was just adopted in July of this year. For our purposes we are required to submit forms with every permit application showing how we are being as energy efficient as possible. We are being driven to use LED technology wherever we can. A recent addition to the code contained in Title 24, requires that every sign be controlled by an automatic time-switch control and a photo cell or you can use an astronomical time-switch control (which does not require the use of a photo cell). Click here for the latest form (PDF). It must accompany every sign permit application in California. Click here for a guide which explains how to fill out the form (see pages 7-20). Continue Reading
New Member Profile: Imagetech Services
Imagetech Services. Helping with the most difficult permits.
In 1999, over the course of a few months, Mitch Chemers conducted an informal survey of managers and owners of the busiest sign companies he knew. He asked, “What are the biggest hassles about running your shop?” Employees and cash flow were always at the top, with permit hassles usually next. Mitch found it curious that permits, a relatively minor step that generates little profit, could rise to such a disproportionate level of frustration. What others saw as pure frustration, Mitch saw as an opportunity to offer value.
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Legality of Moratoriums
State law allows 45-day moratoriums (“interim ordinances”) on permit approvals when there is an immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare. Often abused by cities and counties which seem to make very loose findings, a moratorium can be extended for two years. Although an interim ordinance may prohibit development of land uses that conflict with a general or specific plan or pending zoning ordinance, the interim ordinance cannot prohibit the processing of development applications. In other words, the city still must process your application.
Welfare State
What constitutes an immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare is a debate applicants often miss out on, because the issues frequently arise on short notice. Even though a city might give notice of a hearing, by the time we learn about the interim ordinance it’s been adopted. Rarely, however, would or should a sign application trigger an immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare.