Number of banner-towing planes on the rise

Jose Paul Corona

Planes towing anti-abortion messages circled the city last week

while trucks made similar rounds on the ground, after city officials

decided to hold off enforcing a controversial aerial advertising ban

for three weeks.

“We’re increasing all of the presence of all of our planes and

trucks,” said Greg Cunningham, founder and director of the Santa Fe

Springs-based Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a national group that

opposes abortion.

Cunningham’s group is suing the city of Huntington Beach, claiming

that a new city law that bans planes towing ads from flying over the

city violates its 1st Amendment rights.

“Our focus on Huntington Beach is going to be intensified until

Huntington Beach repeals this ordinance,” he said.

True to his word, many residents reported seeing the planes flying

around the city -- especially near City Hall.

City officials agreed to not enforce the new law, which would have

gone into effect last week, until a judge hears the lawsuit on Nov.

1.

Officials decided to postpone enforcement of the law to make sure

that they had enough time to go over the suit, said Assistant City

Atty. Scott Field.

But Cunningham said the decision not to enforce the law proves his

case.

“It was obviously an indication that the city doesn’t feel that

their case is strong enough,” he said. “You don’t do that if you’re

playing a strong hand.”

The group said it uses planes and trucks to get its anti-abortion

message across because traditional advertising methods are not

available to it.

Many residents object to the ads and have let city officials know.

“I’ve had so many people call me,” Councilwoman Pam Julien Houchen

said, adding that she received “tons” of complaints. “People were

upset.”

City Council members deny the group’s claims that the law was

meant to silence its message, but rather says it was a response to

years of complaints from residents about noise pollution coming from

the planes during the summer months and for safety reasons.

“It’s definitely a safety issue,” Houchen said.

The number of planes flying over the city has increased over the

years as Surf City becomes more popular, she said.

“It just seems that more and more planes are circling the beach,”

Houchen said. “The ads are irrelevant.”

Councilwoman Connie Boardman introduced the ordinance after

hearing of a similar law passed by the city of Honolulu, Hawaii, and

upheld by the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco.