News

West Hollywood Billboard Tax Proposal Defeated

Nearly 80% of voters reject proposal

Published

13 years ago

March 16, 2011

Wade Swormstedt Signs of the Times March 2011 Issue

Voters in West Hollywood (CA) resoundingly rejected a proposed billboard tax that would’ve enacted a 7% tax on outdoor advertising in the community. More than 3,800 votes, or approximately 80% of the 4,848 ballots cast, opposed the measure. The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce called the proposal deceptive, and City Attorney Michael Jenkins deemed it legally questionable because it would burden protected speech. The district’s Congressman, Democrat Henry Waxman, also opposed the measure.

The results aren’t yet official because nearly 1,000 mail-in ballots haven’t been tabulated, but it’s impossible for them to sway the results.

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