Rumors Page aims to shed light on Fountain Valley concerns

In the wake of heated public debates about the addition of an LED, or light-emitting diode sign, on Ellis Avenue, Fountain Valley has created an official “Rumors Page” on its website to address what it considers misinformation on social media regarding city projects.

The page, launched in December, originally sought to answer questions about the proposed LED billboard, which has been a contentious issue in town for the past year. However, it has since expanded to address multiple concerns, including water usage and the city’s fireworks policy.

“This was a good way to deal with rumors on social media,” said Fountain Valley Planning and Building Director Matt Mogensen. “It’s similar to a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page on most other cities’ websites.”

The Rumors Page has a simple format, with short statements identified as “Rumors” followed by explanations labeled “Facts.” One recent post cites a December headline in the Orange County Register that declared, “Fountain Valley delays vote on LED billboard” and counters that the city did not delay the vote. Rather, the page explains, “The sign applicant, Clear Channel Outdoor, notified the city that it was pulling the issue off the City Council agenda.”

As of last week, nearly half of the seven posts on the Rumors Page dealt with the LED sign, which has been proposed by the advertising firm Clear Channel. City officials generally want the installation for the increased revenue, while many residents oppose having more billboards in town. Furthermore, opponents believe the sign will affect their homes with light pollution.

While the sign will primarily show advertisements, Clear Channel has stated that it can also be used to show public service announcements such as photos of missing persons. The city will not regulate what is advertised on the billboard.

On Dec. 15, Clear Channel pulled the LED sign from the city council’s agenda. There is currently no timetable for when it will reappear on the council’s docket.

In recent months, residents have shown up in large numbers to City Council meetings to voice their distaste for the proposal, while some have also taken to social media such as Facebook to vent their concerns. The heading of the Rumors Page notes that it provides “official information and response to rumors in the community, particularly on social media.”

Still, the effort hasn’t won over all skeptics. Leston Trueblood, an opponent of the LED sign, said he disputed the page’s claim that the LED sign was legal. Furthermore, he believed the Rumors Page had more to do with public relations than transparency.

“They have been so deceptive about things,” Trueblood said. “They have worded things in such a generic way in the past. I think that Rumors Page is them trying to promote themselves as being good guys and [showing that] things are done above board. They’ve been trying to fly this thing under the radar for so long, though. I think they are double-talking and trying to cover their tracks.”

Resident Patrick Tucker had similar sentiments regarding the city’s webpage.

“That Rumors Page is done to put the city’s thoughts out there and not really facts,” he said. “I believe that citizens should be able to make comments on the page, because as of now, it’s a one-way thing. There is no factual basis for the page.”

Pro-sign city officials and the public are butting heads on the legality of replacing three billboards located on Edinger Avenue and Harbor Boulevard with the proposed sign on Ellis Avenue. This contention was specifically addressed on the Rumors Page, which stated that municipal code allows the city to put a private property sign onto public property.

Tucker finds fault with the argument.

“I read the municipal code in its entirety, and they are allowed to bypass it, but not for private property purposes,” he said. “So if they were to put up an LED sign, they can do so for the best interests of the community, but nowhere in the code does it say that they can put it up for advertising. There’s no provision in there that allows the city government to put up a private property sign on public land.”

Officials from Clear Channel Outdoor, the advertising firm and LED sign applicant, declined to comment on the LED proposal or the new webpage.