Council wants better regulation of racks
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

The Simi Valley City Council is looking into amending a city ordinance that regulates news racks located in the public right of way.

During Monday's council meeting, Ron Fuchiwaki, assistant director of public works, sought direction from council members in establishing new regulations in regard to the size, style, color, location and number of news racks located on sidewalks throughout Simi.

"What we have now in place isn't cutting it," Councilmember Steve Sojka said bluntly. "We're seeing a proliferation of news racks all across our city."

In 2003 and 2005, the City Council proposed amending the ordinance in order to address concerns about litter and the overall appearance of grouped news racks.

The current ordinance allows up to 16 racks on any given block, with no more than eight within a space of 200 feet in any direction on the same block of the same street, according to a city staff report.

Sojka said he'd like to see the number of news racks per block decreased in order to "reduce clutter and improve aesthetics."

During Fuchiwaki's presentation, city staff recommended setting standards for a uniform appearance of the racks, including designating specific dimensions and limiting color options to blue, olive green, brown and white.

Council members agreed the amendment should set limits on the dimensions of rack boxes without requiring publishers to adhere to only one specific make and model. They also said the racks should all be made of metal, be bolted to the ground to avoid toppling over during high winds and have the same size base and pedestal.

According to the staff report, there are between 250 and 300 news racks throughout the city, most along Los Angeles Avenue between Sinaloa and Erringer roads. Many of the racks include "rack cards" advertising information that can found inside the publication.

"I'd like to see advertisements eliminated from the news rack entirely," Councilmember Barbra Williamson said. "The less obtrusive, the better."

All other council members agreed with Williamson.

The City Council asked staff to meet with the various vendors and come back with further detailed recommendations. If a new ordinance is issued, the publications will probably be required to adhere to the new guidelines within a specified time period.