New rule. Signs must be 4 X 5 and be green and white

The headline is a joke, don't get excited. Looks like the Fortuna Sign Ordinance Kerfuffle isn't over, or as clear cut as it appeared. Not as simple as a flat suspension of the rules, but now more convoluted, with revisions, some yet to come.

◼ Dean Glaser and Jaison Chand speak on Fortuna sign ordinance at today's City Council meeting to no avail - John Chiv/Words Worth

...Item VI. Business Number C: Adopt Urgency Ordinance 2014-706, Suspending Section 17.05180 (D) (1) (b) of the Fortuna Municipal Code affecting Political Signs, for a period of six months....

The City Attorney then said in addition to the correction from suspending to amending that Strehl mentioned, the line for a period of six months should be stricken.

The City Attorney said "a candidate has signs up." That candidate is Maggie Fleming but he did not mention her name.

The City Attorney added that this ordinance was temporary, that the Planning Commission had to look into it and send back recommendations, and it was not about size, just no time frame when signs can go up....

Jaison Chand, who is Élan Firpo's campaign manager spoke next. "I am here to get clarification." He said "we only learned of this ordinance change 10 days ago." He said he just learned that is an amendment, not a suspension. And that his biggest concern was not the change but the process. Referring to the unnamed candidate, Chand said, "That candidate knew something we did not know." He said all candidates should have been notified and all 4 DA candidates should have been involved in this decision.

That is a fair criticism. All candidates make their sign purchases based on the existing sign ordinances, which are clearly posted, linked on the County Elections website. Every incorporated town seems to have their own rules and quirks, rather than adopting the county rules. It is true that advance knowledge gives a candidate an advantage

I've been clear that I support the idea of a full suspension. The 30-days-before-an-election clause is clearly outdated, and 60-90 days is preferable in a time when so many vote absentee, meaning they'd vote before signs went up, pretty much. The different sizes in different towns are even more problematic. And, the ordinances are petty and unenforceable anyway.

But this is a mess. A stupid distraction, and a mess.
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◼ And, on the topic of signs in general" Campaign Sign Restrictions? - Fred's Humboldt Blog

Suspend it now. Discuss & Revise Later If You Must.

◼ Fortuna Rethinking Sign Ordinance - Thadeus Greenson/The Journal

The Friendly City has long had one of the most restrictive election sign ordinances in Humboldt County, preventing residents from bedazzling their yards with political pleas until just 30 days prior to Election Day. The county allows signs 90 days prior.

But the Fortuna City Council will consider passing an urgency ordinance Monday that would suspend section 17.05.180(D)(1)(b) (the sign ordinance) of the city municipal code for six months, essentially allowing a signage free-for-all from now through November. Mayor Doug Strehl said he raised the issue at a prior council meeting and there was a consensus to bring the item back for a full discussion....

No city council seats are up for election this year. In fact, the only high-profile race Fortuna will have a hand in deciding is that for district attorney. So where do city council members’ allegiances lie in that particular race — the only local race that promises to be impacted by Monday’s decision? Glad you asked.

According to candidate webpages, Counsel Members Mike Losey, Sue Long and Tami Trent have all endorsed Maggie Fleming’s bid for the position. Councilman Dean Glaser has endorsed Allan Dollison’s campaign. Strehl has not publicly endorsed any of the four candidates vying for the position. So, it will be interesting to see where Monday’s discussion goes and if any candidate’s supporters make a concerted effort to show up and weigh in.

As to why the council is pursuing an urgency ordinance to suspend the sign rules instead of simply changing the ordinance, it takes a months-long public process to change a city ordinance. So, in order for any changes to take effect before the June primary, an urgency ordinance was the only option. In the backdrop of all this, there’s also a larger legal question....

◼ Earlier: GOOD NEWS! Sign Regs in Fortuna to be suspended for this election? UPDATED
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One question regarding suspension is whether or not it will mean that candidates require a sign permit for each and every sign. The current ordinance exempts political signage from that onerous requirement.

The whole thing is ridiculous.

Suspend it now. Discuss and revise it later when you're out of the heat of the campaign.

And the ordinance has no teeth anyway.
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GOOD NEWS! Sign Regs in Fortuna to be suspended for this election? UPDATED

◼ Two Fleming supporters on Fortuna City Council want political sign extension? - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ Minutes of the Fortuna City Council Regular Meeting Monday, February 3, 2014 - 6:00 p.m., Fortuna City Hall ITEM VII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

Mayor Pro Tem Losey asked again for the political sign extension to be placed on the agenda. Staff informed him it was being researched and will be put on a future agenda.

◼ REGULAR MEETING AGENDA Fortuna City Council Monday, March 3, 2014 ITEM V. D. Adopt Urgency Ordinance 2014-706, Suspending Section 17.05.180(D)(1)(b) of the Fortuna Municipal Code for a period of six months.

◼ RELATED: Candidate Guide: Campaign Signs
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Staying on top of the various sign regs throughout the county isn't tough, but it can be an annoyance... inevitably a candidate gets in 'trouble' for the wrong-sized sign in the wrong place. Usually it's because a supporter takes a sign home and puts it on their building or in their yard in an area that doesn't allow 4x8 signs, or something along those lines. It just gives the various camps another lance to joust their target off his (or her) horse, in the end, they have no teeth.

And having different sizes in different areas complicates the sign buys.

We've come a long way since the days when people painted, stenciled or silkscreened their own signs. For one thing, the price of plywood skyrocketed. And paper signs don't hold up in our wet climate. So, candidates have largely turned to the corroplast signs, they look professional, they hold up in the weather, and you can order them in quantity. And quantity discounts matter. Varying requirements really mess with your budget - City Council members may know, having had to run for office themselves, but they wouldn't have been affected in the same way someone running in a county-wide race is.

Not sure what prompted this, but I'd hope Mayor Pro Tem Losey ought to consider proposing elimination of the silly regs altogether. Or, that there be some adherence to a county wide set of regs, that ALL the various cities sign on to (no pun intended).

This is good news for ALL candidates, I am in favor!

Thoughts?
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At second glance, it isn't clear what is being waived, exactly. Is it the entire ordinance, meaning no rules? Or is it specific to the time allowed - as Max pointed out in the comments, it looks like they recognize that 30 day restriction is not reasonable as absentees go out about 30 days ahead of the election, and it is reasonable to say candidates should be able to put up their signs 30 days in advance of the absentees going out - and recognizing that there isn't time for a full on discussion and action, this makes the exception immediate, and they can hash out a complete rewrite later... is that the way you read this? CLICK IMAGES TO EMBIGGEN: (or go to pages 69, 70, 71 and 72 of the March 3 link above. These are jegs, there are nice pdfs at the link.)

UPDATE: AN EXPLANATION FROM MIKE LOSEY (Thanks for the explanation)

Ok so here's the skinny. I realized that the ordinance was drafted years ago, before most voters began voting absentee. The thirty days before the election is not long enough for ANY candidate to display their signs, so I asked several meetings ago to place this on the agenda which was agreed upon by a consensus of the Council. After review of the sign ordinance, our City Attorney advised that there are many issues with our ordinance and if a candidate wished to make an issue we could have a huge problem in a court of law. His recommendation is to suspend that sign ordinance under the urgency ordinance. We had only three members of the council at the last meeting and to adopt an urgency ordinance we must have a four/fifths majority. It will be on our (City of Fortuna's) next agenda.