The people of Los Angeles owe Christine Pelisek a tremendous debt for exposing the shameless situation of the billboard industry with these two timely, researched and well-written articles [“Bohemian Blasphemy,” Nov. 21-27, and “Billboards Gone Wild,” April 25-May 1]. We urge every concerned citizen to read them.

Ted Wu

Los Angeles

 

I have lived in a beautiful, quiet section on the Westside for 50 years, and every day I am assaulted by the visual and aesthetic monstrosities going up on the streets: Westwood, Sepulveda and Santa Monica boulevards, etc. It feels like Tijuana, or some other Third World hellhole. What’s next … pimps and whores selling their wares 24/7? Dog and pony shows?

Comment by Fed Up in LA, Westwood, Nov. 21

 

You folks in L.A. think you have got it bad! Come to the residential neighborhoods of Las Vegas. (Yes, Virginia, there are nice, upscale residential areas here.) In fact, when we are on the freeways, the digital signs are so bright that we navigate our location and direction by these signs, literally miles away.

Comment by Rob Herman, Las Vegas, Nov. 21

 

Enough! For too long have Southern California homeowners decided the fate of this town. For too long has Dennis Hathaway spread lies on the environmental impact of LED billboards. And for too long have we not fixed our policy toward billboards, regardless of whether they’re digital or not. Your so-called “billboard blight” definitely applies to residential neighborhoods, but it has no merit in commercial and entertainment districts and corridors. I have spoken to some small-business owners who say these advertisements are vital to their business. So what if it looks like Times Square? Is there a problem with that? BTW, Manhattan has recently installed a completely wind-and-solar-powered LED in Times Square.

Comment by Joshua Reyes, Nov. 20

 

Remember the Good Times

Goodbye to Marc Cooper. Although I didn’t always agree with his point of view, at least he delivered it with a firm sense of pragmatism and a healthy dose of reality.

His farewell column [“The After-Bush Afterlife,” Nov. 14-20] was similar to many he wrote over the years. It was a direct message and it didn’t mince words. It was also a cautionary final statement to his readership. The times are indeed “a-changin’” and no one really knows if it will be for the good or bad. Considering the current economic climate, we may all be pining for the “good old days” sooner than we think. As for Marc Cooper, I’m sure he’ll land on his feet somewhere.

Charles Reilly

Manhattan Beach

 

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