Digital billboards go dark across town

All the electronic billboards I usually see on the Westside were turned off today. The companies that operate 77 digital boards in the city of Los Angeles, Clear Channel and CBS Outdoor, were told by a judge to darken the signs by 5 p.m. The companies lost a court challenge by a rival firm, Summit Media, which argued the City Council improperly gave the OK for the digital billboards back in 2006.

The Venice Boulevard sign in the picture above, posted by Dennis Hathaway of Ban Billboard Blight, was turned off Monday morning.

Both candidates for mayor, Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti, approved the digital billboards deal while on the City Council in 2006. Both now praised the judge's ruling made last week that caused the signs to be shut down.

I talked about the digital billboard issue tonight on KCRW in my weekly LA Observed segment on the station. Listen