Working under a bad sign

Mathis Winkler

MARINERS MILE -- So far, Gordana Samardzic’s looks have cost her

business $1,200.

A year ago, together with Andrei Leontieff, who co-owns Cafe Galeos on

West Coast Highway with her, Samardzic decided to spice up the 4-year-old

eatery’s sign.

Before, a big, red coffee cup with the words “Breakfast, Lunch,

Coffee” underneath it had advertised the place to those driving by. But

when the couple decided to branch off toward salad dressings, they

thought it was time to come up with more of an eye catcher to attract new

customers.

Since Samardzic’s a former fashion model, they quickly settled on a

picture of her. Or her back, rather, with a bottle of salad dressing

tucked in one of the pockets of her jeans. In the photograph, she also

tilts her head toward the camera and seems like she’s just about to take

a bite from a ripe tomato.

But unfortunately, the savvy business duo’s marketing idea startled

officials down at City Hall. They looked into the matter and found that

the sign, and its predecessor, had been illegally installed on a flag

pole.

Last August, code enforcement officials sent out a warning to the

cafe’s owners, telling them the sign had to go. More warnings followed

and Leontieff met with city planners to try to figure out a solution. But

another neighboring business already has a sign and only one is permitted

on the site.

The only solution, according to city officials: The cafe owners could

replace the neighbor’s sign with a bigger one and add their name to it.

But when nothing happened, fines started to arrive at Galeos. Since

the beginning of March, city officials have sent two $500 citations and

two $100 citations, Leontieff said, adding he hadn’t sent them any money

so far.

On Wednesday morning, Leontieff said that once the sign’s gone, he’ll

have a hard time staying open.

“I’m in the back [of the strip mall,]” he said. “People can hardly see

me. If you don’t want me to have a sign, I might as well close.”

Leontieff stressed that he was convinced the city’s leaders found the

sign obscene.

Far from it, countered those in charge of Newport Beach.

Yes, the picture of a woman on the sign did catch their attention.

Yes, they’d not looked into whether the sign was legal when it was just a

coffee cup because it sometimes takes them a while to realize that a

sign’s not where it’s supposed to be.

But that’s beside the point, said City Manager Homer Bludau.

“We need to apply the rules . . . regardless of what the situation

is,” he said, adding that no one would object to the picture if it were

installed according to code.

In an e-mail to the cafe’s owners, Mayor Gary Adams, whom Samardzic

had looked to for help, wrote that he didn’t think the sign could stay.

But “for what it’s worth . . . I have no problem with your sign,” he

added.

Councilwoman Norma Glover, whose district includes Mariners Miles,

expressed similar feelings.

“My understanding is that any sign by that cafe is not allowed,” she

said. “That’s the issue.”

Glover added that she couldn’t remember a single sign city officials

had turned down because of its content.