Editorial

Is this a sign of things to come?

Halloween decorations are apparently no longer welcome in Costa Mesa

-- at least not the ones that were hanging in an East 17th Street

shopping center.

The orange and black signs-- which doubled as a clever way to draw

attention to a Halloween store -- violated the city’s municipal code that

prohibits advertising banners to hang from light posts.

Costa Mesa has made its mark as a city that has stringent sign

ordinances, and is not afraid to enforce them.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the management of the Halloween Adventure

Store, a seasonal shop scheduled to open in September, was told to take

down the signs heralding the upcoming October holiday. If the signs were

not taken down, the penalties could range from a citation to criminal

prosecution.

Although “Halloween” was the only word that appeared on the banners,

the city considered it advertising because it drew attention to the

store.

And yet, during winter months the city allows decorations and lights

to adorn the light posts in strip mall -- where stores presumably sell

Christmas holiday items.

Does this seem inconsistent?

Add to that the litter of sign that are posted around the city

advertising the latest trade show at the fairgrounds, or the political

posters that will soon be plastered on any bare surface.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, it seems issue of signs was blown

out of proportion in Costa Mesa. Maybe it happened when the city forced

the deflation of a giant yellow T-shirt. Shortly after updating its sign

ordinance in the mid-1990s, the city zeroed in on a business at at 17th

Street and Newport Boulevard. The T-Shirt Warehouse boasted a 30-foot

inflatable T-shirt atop its building.

And perhaps it was an eyesore. And maybe the Halloween decorations

really were inappropriate. But if the city’s going to be tough on signs,

be tough on all of them.