Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_02-cv-03167/USCOURTS-cand-3_02-cv-03167-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 950
Nature of Suit: Constitutionality of State Statutes
Cause of Action: 42:1983 Civil Rights Act

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States District C

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For the Northern District of California

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

NANO MALDONADO,

Plaintiff,

 v.

WILL KEMPTON, in his capacity as

Director of the California Department of

Transportation,

Defendant.

 /

No. C 02-03167 CRB

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER RE: 

MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY

JUDGMENT

In this section 1983 action plaintiff alleges that California’s Outdoor Advertising Act

(“the Act” or “COAA”) violates the First Amendment on its face. Now pending before the

Court are the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment. Having reviewed the

memoranda submitted by the parties, and having had the benefit of oral argument, the Court

DENIES defendant’s motion for summary judgment to the extent defendant moves for

summary judgment on plaintiff’s facial challenge. The Court GRANTS plaintiff’s motion

for summary judgment to the extent plaintiff challenges the constitutionality of the Act on the

ground that it impermissibly favors commercial over non-commercial speech in violation of

the First Amendment.

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BACKGROUND 

I. Undisputed Facts

This case arises from a long-running dispute between plaintiff and the California

Department of Transportation (“Caltrans”) regarding the use of plaintiff’s billboard. Plaintiff

owns a commercial building located at 3600 Rolison Road adjacent to the southbound lanes

of Highway 101 in Redwood City. In the mid-1950’s a double-sided billboard was mounted

on the roof of plaintiff’s building. 

COAA regulates billboards that are visible from and are placed near interstate and

primary highways in California. See Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 5271. COAA section 5200 et

seq., prohibits all billboard advertising along a “landscaped freeway” unless the billboards

advertise goods or services available at the property on which the billboard is placed (“onpremises” advertising). Caltrans is responsible for enforcing COAA. In October 1993,

Caltrans cited plaintiff for violating COAA. Plaintiff was cited again in 1996. Plaintiff

subsequently sought review by the California Outdoor Advertising Review Board. Plaintiff

argued that his billboards (for Stanford Shopping Center, a Holiday Inn, and Skyway

Cellular, among other businesses) were lawful on-premises advertising because the

businesses advertised also leased space on the premises. The Board disagreed. Plaintiff still

did not remove the offending advertisements and Caltrans filed suit in state court to abate a

public nuisance, namely, the advertisements. Following a trial, the Superior Court entered an

injunction enjoining plaintiff from displaying any advertising on his billboard without

permission from Caltrans and generally enjoined plaintiff from displaying any on-premises

advertising unless it was for business conducted on the premises.

Plaintiff subsequently placed a sign on his billboard reading “AVAILABLE FOR ON

SITE USE 650-366-2979.” The trial court found plaintiff in contempt. Plaintiff did not give

up. Shortly thereafter he put up a sign saying “IN GOD WE TRUST” “WE PRAY FOR

WORLD PEACE” “HELP STOP TERRORISM” and listing the phone numbers of the FBI

and Red Cross among others. He also included “AVAILABLE FOR ON SITE USE 650-

366-2979.” The other side of the billboard advertised Habitat for Humanity. The State again

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instituted contempt proceedings. In February 2003, while this action was pending, the state

court found that the Habitat for Humanity billboard and the “AVAILABLE FOR ON SITE

USE” signs violated the permanent injunction and ordered plaintiff to pay a fine and the

State’s fees and costs. The court also determined that the “In God We Trust” display did not

violate the injunction or the previous contempt orders. 

II. Procedural History

In his initial complaint plaintiff challenged the constitutionality of several portions of

the Act on its face and as applied to him. This Court dismissed the complaint on grounds of

standing, claim preclusion, and the Rooker-Feldman doctrine. Plaintiff appealed some of the

Court’s rulings and the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded the action to this Court for

decision on the merits.

Plaintiff subsequently filed a First Amended Complaint. Plaintiff continues to

challenge the constitutionality of COAA on its face and as applied. Among other things,

plaintiff alleges that the Act chills publication of non-commercial speech and that past

enforcement of the injunction against plaintiff has caused him to refrain from using his

billboard to publish paid political advertisements and free religious messages. 

For example, he alleges that during the 2004 election season he was interested in

selling billboard space to political candidates looking to publish political campaign messages.

He was approached by a candidate for the California Assembly. The candidate’s campaign

offered to pay for use of plaintiff’s billboard for political campaign messages on the

condition that plaintiff guarantee that such advertising is legal. Plaintiff asked defendant to

provide a written statement declaring that political advertising was permissible on the

billboard. Defendant declined, stating that he could not give an opinion without first

reviewing the copy to be published on the billboard. As a result, plaintiff refrained from

publishing the campaign messages. 

Plaintiff also alleges that the Act chilled and continues to chill him from displaying

free religious messages during the holidays. Plaintiff was approached by a local theater

group and asked to display messages such as “A WORLD AT PRAYER IS A WORLD AT

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PEACE,” and “GOT FAITH?” Plaintiff wanted to include the names and addresses of local

churches with the above display. He refrained from publishing this display for fear of

violating the Act.

The Court previously ruled that the Act’s distinction between “off-premises” and “onpremises” advertising is legal. The sole issue now before the Court is whether COAA

prohibits non-commercial speech where it permits commercial speech, and if so, whether this

prohibition renders the Act unconstitutional. 

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is proper when “the pleadings, depositions, answers to

interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is

no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as

a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). An issue is “genuine” only if there is a sufficient

evidentiary basis on which a reasonable fact finder could find for the nonmoving party, and a

dispute is “material” only if it could affect the outcome of the suit under governing law. See

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248-49 (1986). A principal purpose of the

summary judgment procedure “is to isolate and dispose of factually unsupported claims.” 

Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323-24 (1986). “Where the record taken as a whole

could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the non-moving party, there is no ‘genuine

issue for trial.’” Matsushita Elec. Ind. Co. v. Zenith Radio, 475 U.S. 574, 587 (1986).

A party seeking summary judgment always bears the initial burden of establishing the

absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Celotex, 477 U.S. 323. If the moving party

satisfies its initial burden, the nonmoving party cannot defeat summary judgment merely by

demonstrating “that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita,

475 U.S. 574, 586; see also Anderson, 477 U.S. at 252 (“The mere existence of a scintilla of

evidence in support of the nonmoving party’s position is not sufficient”). Rather, the

nonmoving party must go “beyond the pleadings and by her own affidavits, or by the

depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, designate specific facts

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showing there is a genuine issue for trial.” Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324 (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P.

56(e)) (internal quotations marks omitted).

DISCUSSION

The question before the Court is whether COAA favors commercial over noncommercial speech in violation of the First Amendment. 

I. Billboard Statutes Must Allow Non-Commercial Signs if They Allow OnPremises Commercial Signs

The leading case regarding First Amendment challenges to billboard ordinances is

Metromedia, Inc. v. City of San Diego, 453 U.S. 490 (1981). Under Metromedia, “an

ordinance is invalid if it imposes greater restrictions on noncommercial than on commercial

billboards or regulates noncommercial billboards based on their content.” National

Advertising Co. v. City of Orange, 861 F.2d 246, 248 (9th Cir. 1988) (citing Metromedia,

453 U.S. at 513, 516). The San Diego ordinance at issue in Metromedia had an exception to

its general ban on billboard advertising for on-premises commercial advertising; there was no

similar exception for non-commercial advertising. The Supreme Court held the ordinance

unconstitutional:

[t]he fact that the city may value commercial messages relating to onsite goods

and services more than it values commercial communications relating to offsite

goods and services does not justify prohibiting an occupant from displaying its

own ideas or those of others. . . . [i]nsofar as the city tolerates billboards at all,

it cannot choose to limit their content to commercial messages; the city may not

conclude that the communication of commercial information concerning goods

and services connected with a particular site is of greater value than the

communication of non-commercial messages. 

Metromedia, 453 U.S. at 513; see also Clear Channel Outdoor Inc. v. City of Los Angeles,

340 F.3d 810, 814-15 (9th Cir. 2003) (following Metromedia); Ackerley Comm. of

Northwest v. Krochalis, 108 F.3d 1095, 1099 (9th Cir. 1997) (same); Outdoor Sys., Inc. v.

City of Mesa, 997 F.2d 604, 610 (9th Cir. 1993) (same); National Advertising Co., 861 F.2d

at 248 (same). The law is settled that billboard ordinances may not favor commercial speech

by permitting on-premises commercial speech while prohibiting all non-commercial speech. 

Therefore, the primary issue here is whether COAA prohibits non-commercial speech where

it permits on-premises commercial speech.

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II. COAA Prohibits Non-Commercial Speech

Defendant contends that the Act is constitutional because it does not prohibit a

property owner from placing a non-commercial billboard along a landscaped freeway. To

support this interpretation of the Act defendant relies on the declaration of the Senior

Outdoor Advertising Inspector at the California Department of Transportation. See Decl. of

Sergay Ivazian. Mr. Ivazian asserts that the Department has always interpreted noncommercial displays as outside the scope and intent of the Act. Ivazian Decl. at ¶¶ 1-12. 

The State’s interpretation of the Act is belied by (1) the Ninth Circuit’s ruling in this case, (2)

the language and structure of COAA, and (3) the State’s inconsistent interpretations of

COAA.

A. The Ninth Circuit Has Held That COAA Prohibits All Non-Commercial

Speech

The Ninth Circuit squarely rejected defendant’s unsupported interpretation of COAA:

Counsel for Caltrans asserted at oral argument that COAA does not apply to

non-commercial advertisements, although he could point to nothing in the

statute in support of that assertion. . . . [N]othing in the statute creates an

exception for non-commercial advertisements and no controlling caselaw has

construed the Act in the manner Caltrans suggests.

Maldonado v. Harris, 370 F.3d 945, 953 n.5 (9th Cir. 2004). Defendant merely dismisses the

Ninth Circuit’s statement as dicta. The Court disagrees. The statement was critical to the

Ninth Circuit’s conclusion that plaintiff had standing. If COAA does not apply to noncommercial speech, plaintiff’s argument that his then-current conduct violated COAA would

have failed and he would not have had standing. Thus, the Ninth Circuit’s statement was

necessary to its holding and therefore the law of the case, and indeed, of the circuit. See

Miranda B. v. Kitzhaber, 328 F.3d 1181, 1186 (9th Cir. 2003) (“[W]here a panel confronts an

issue germane to the eventual resolution of the case, and resolves it after reasoned

consideration in a published opinion, that ruling becomes the law of the circuit, regardless of

whether doing so is necessary in some strict logical sense”) (internal quotation marks and

citation omitted).

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B. The Language and Structure of the Statute

Even assuming the Ninth Circuit had not yet ruled on the issue, the language and

structure of the statute demonstrate that COAA applies to non-commercial speech. The Act

prohibits all billboard “advertising displays” adjacent to landscaped freeways. See Cal. Bus.

& Prof. Code § 5440 (“Except as otherwise provided in this article, no advertising display

may be placed or maintained on property adjacent to a section of a freeway that has been

landscaped if the advertising display is designed to be viewed primarily by persons traveling

on the main-traveled way of the landscaped freeway”) (emphasis added).

“‘Advertising display’ refers to advertising structures and to signs.” Cal. Bus. & Prof.

Code §5202. “Advertising structure” is defined as “a structure of any kind or character

erected, used or maintained for outdoor advertising purposes, upon which any poster, bill,

printing, painting or other advertisement of any kind whatsoever may be placed, including

statuary, for advertising purposes.” Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 5203. The Act then identifies

specific examples of what is not an “advertising structure,” but does not further define

“advertising structure.” Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 5203 (“An advertising structure does not

include: (a) Official notices issued by any court or public body or officer; (b) Notices posted

by any public officer in performance of a public duty or by any person in giving legal notice;

(c) Directional, warning or information structures required by or authorized by law or by

federal, state or county authority; (d) A structure erected near a city or county boundary,

which contains the name of such city or county and the names of, or any other information

regarding, civic, fraternal or religious organizations located therein”). 

The prohibition of all “advertising displays” does have an exception for “on-premises”

advertising. See Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 5442 (“Section 5440 does not apply to any

advertising structure or sign if the advertising display is used exclusively for any of the

following purposes: (a) [t]o advertise the sale or lease of the property upon which the

advertising display is placed; (b) [t]o designate the name of the owner or occupant of the

premises upon which the advertising display is placed, or to identify the premises; (c) [t]o

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advertise goods manufactured or produced, or services rendered, on the property upon which

the advertising display is placed”).

The paid political advertisements plaintiff alleges he was “chilled” from placing on

his billboard fall within the definition of “advertising displays” prohibited by the Act and

fall outside the exception for on-premises advertising. See Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 5442. 

The Supreme Court has made it clear that paid political advertisements do not lose their full

First Amendment protection simply because they were paid for. See N.Y. Times Co. v.

Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 266 (1964) (“That the Times was paid for publishing the

advertisement is as immaterial in this connection as is the fact that newspapers and books are

sold”). Therefore, the plain language of the Act prohibits non-commercial speech while

allowing on-premises commercial advertisements.

The conclusion that COAA impermissibly prohibits non-commercial speech is

supported by a provision in COAA exempting temporary political signs. See Cal. Bus. &

Prof. Code §5405.3. (“A temporary political sign is a sign which: (a) Encourages a particular

vote in a scheduled election; (b) Is placed not sooner than 90 days prior to the scheduled

election and is removed within 10 days after that election; (c) Is no larger than 32 square feet;

and (d) Has had a statement of responsibility filed with the State Department of

Transportation certifying a person who will be responsible for removing the sign and who

will reimburse the department for any cost to remove it”). If, as defendant claims, COAA

does not apply to non-commercial speech, there would be no need for an exception from the

billboard ban for temporary political signs–all political signs are non-commercial. 

Furthermore, the exemption was added to the Act in 1979 to clear up confusion as to whether

the Act covered temporary political signs. 79 Ops. Cal. Atty. Gen. 117 (1996) (citing Stats.

1979, ch. 1054, § 2 (Cal. 1979)). By adding the explicit exemption, the legislature made it

clear that COAA does apply to political signs. 

The Act’s exemptions for directional signs, official notices, and city or county signs

similarly demonstrate that the Act prohibits non-commercial signs. See Cal. Bus. & Prof.

Code §5442.5 (“Section 5440.1 does not apply to any advertising display . . . used

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exclusively for any of the following purposes: (a) Directional and official signs and notices,

including, but not be limited to, signs and notices pertaining to natural wonders or scenic and

historical attractions that are otherwise required or authorized by law and conform to

regulations adopted by the department. Again, these exemptions would be unnecessary, if, as

defendant claims, the Act does not apply to non-commercial speech. Directional signs–by

any stretch of the imagination–cannot be considered commercial speech.

Moreover, the majority of billboard ordinances that courts have held to be neutral

towards non-commercial speech have contained what is referred to as a “substitution clause.” 

A substitution clause is an express statement that exempts non-commercial speech from a

billboard regulation or allows for non-commercial messages to be substituted for permitted

commercial messages. See Clear Channel, 340 F.3d at 814-15 (holding ordinances

constitutional because they include a “substitution clause” that “guarantees that political or

other noncommercial messages” are not restricted to on-premises signs); Valley Outdoor,

Inc. v. County of Riverside, 337 F.3d 1111, 1113 (9th Cir. 2003) (discussing amendment to

Riverside ordinance that allows any non-commercial message to be substituted for a

commercial message on any otherwise lawful sign); Outdoor Systems, 997 F.2d at 612

(discussing ordinances that were content neutral with respect to non-commercial speech

because the ordinances contained a substitution clause that permitted any otherwise properly

erected sign to contain non-commercial messages in lieu of any other message). COAA’s

lack of a similar exemption for non-commercial speech is additional evidence that the Act

prohibits non-commercial speech where it permits commercial speech.

C. The State’s Positions

Defendant’s assertion that the State has never treated COAA as applying to noncommercial speech is contradicted by the California Fair Political Practices Commission’s

(“FPPC”) interpretation of the Act. Plaintiff’s counsel contacted the FPPC to obtain an

opinion regarding campaign finance law as applied to proposed political advertisements on

plaintiff’s billboard. See Decl. Attorney Zell Re Motions For Summary Judgment, Ex. E. 

The FPPC responded with an informal assistance letter which states, “it appears that the

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sweep of the injunction extends to all ‘off-premises’ advertisements, including those you

characterize as ‘noncommercial’ political advertising.” Id. (original emphasis). Thus, at

least one state agency reads the Act as does plaintiff, the Ninth Circuit, and this Court.

Defendant himself filed a contempt motion in state court seeking to force plaintiff to

remove his non-commercial “In God We Trust/Help Stop Terrorism” sign as violative of the

state court injunction. See Exh. C to Plaintiff’s Request for Judicial Notice. This sign

unquestionably contained non-commercial speech. Defendant claims that Caltrans only

sought the contempt order for the portion of the billboard display that listed the phone

numbers of the off-premises organizations the Red Cross, FBI, and the San Mateo Sherriff,

and not for the billboard’s “In God We Trust/Help Stop Terrorism” message. See Decl. of

Daniel Weingarten in Support of Defendant’s Reply, Ex. A. Whether the contempt motion

targeted non-commercial speech is in dispute; nonetheless, the confusion surrounding the

issue bolsters plaintiff’s claim that he feels “chilled” from displaying non-commercial

messages on his billboard.

The law cited by defendant does not support his interpretation of the Act. There is no

California caselaw that specifically addresses whether COAA applies to non-commercial

advertisements. The 1996 opinion of the California Attorney General was issued in response

to the following question submitted by a member of the California State Assembly: “Does

the Outdoor Advertising Act (Bus. & Prof. Code, §§ 5200-5486) apply to the posting of a

sign on private property adjacent to a highway that expresses the property owner’s opinion

concerning a state or federal public official?” 79 Ops. Cal. Atty. Gen. 117 at 1 (1996). The

Attorney General concluded that the Act does not apply; however, the Ninth Circuit

determined that the opinion does not fully address whether the Act applies to noncommercial speech, and, in any event, is non-binding:

California’s Attorney General has stated that the Act “does not apply to the

posting of a sign on private property adjacent to a highway that expresses the

property owner's opinion concerning a state or federal public official.” While

the Attorney General’s opinion also expresses doubt that the Act applies to

noncommercial messages generally, the actual question it dealt with was much

narrower. Moreover, while the Attorney General’s opinions are given

substantial weight by the California courts, they are not considered controlling. 

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Maldonado, 370 F.3d at 953 n.5. In any event, the Attorney General’s reasoning is

circular: “if we construed the Act to cover the expression of a political belief, it would

raise serious doubts as to whether its provisions were constitutional under the First

Amendment . . .” Id. at 8. In other words, the Attorney General reasoned that the Act

did not apply to non-commercial speech because if it did apply the Act would be

unconstitutional. If the Court were to adopt such reasoning no statute would ever be

unconstitutional.

Defendant’s reliance on an outlying Eleventh Circuit case is equally unpersuasive.

Southlake Property Assoc., Ltd. v. City of Morrow, 112 F.3d 1114 (11th Cir. 1997). In

Southlake Property, the plaintiff asserted that a city ordinance prohibiting off-premises

billboards was unconstitutional under Metromedia because it lacked an exception for noncommercial speech. Id. at 1117. The court held that the ordinance was constitutional

because the city had never applied it to prohibit non-commercial speech. Id. The Eleventh

Circuit also held that all non-commercial speech should be characterized as on-premises,

because “an idea, unlike a product, may be viewed as located wherever the idea is

expressed.” Southlake Property, 112 F.3d at 1118. Under this view all non-commercial

speech is considered “on-premises.”

The theory that all non-commercial speech should be considered “on-premises” has no

support in the majority of circuits, including the Ninth Circuit. See e.g., Clear Channel

Outdoor Inc., 340 F.3d at 815 (“[t]he amendment creates an exemption for noncommercial

off-site signs”) (emphasis added); Ackerley Communications Inc. v. City of Cambridge, 88

F.3d 33, 37 (1st Cir. 1996) (“[t]he only signs containing noncommercial messages that are

[on-premises] are those relating to the premises on which they stand, which inevitably will

mean signs identifying nonprofit institutions”). The Court declines to adopt that theory here.

D. Summary

As COAA applies to non-commercial speech as a matter of law, the Act

impermissibly favors commercial over non-commercial speech by prohibiting noncommercial billboards where it permits on-premises commercial billboards. As defendant

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does not contend that it has a compelling state interest in prohibiting such non-commercial

speech, the Act violates the First Amendment. Metromedia, 453 U.S. at 513.

III. Remedy

Having concluded that COAA is unconstitutional because it prohibits non-commercial

speech where it permits commercial speech, the Court must now determine whether to

invalidate COAA partially or in its entirety. The parties’ positions are unsurprising: plaintiff

argues that the Court should enjoin enforcement of COAA in its entirety, while defendant

contends that the Court should enjoin enforcement of COAA merely to the extent that it

impermissibly burdens non-commercial speech. The Court will invalidate only the

unconstitutional portions of COAA, leaving the rest of the Act intact.

In Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the general rule that

“when confronting a constitutional flaw in a statute, [courts] try to limit the solution to the

problem.” 126 S.Ct. 961, 967 (2006); accord Brockett v. Spokane Arcades, Inc., 472 U.S.

491, 504 (1985) (invalidating only the unconstitutional provisions of a statute); United States

v. Raines, 362 U.S. 17, 20-22 (1960) (same); National Advertising, 861 F.2d at 249 (same).

Ayotte articulated three interrelated principles to guide the crafting of a remedy. First,

a court should try to invalidate no more of a statute than necessary. Ayotte, 126 S.Ct. at 967.

“Accordingly, the ‘normal rule’ is that ‘partial, rather than facial, invalidation is the required

course,’ such that a ‘statute may . . . be declared invalid to the extent that it reaches too far,

but otherwise left intact.’” Id. at 968 (citation omitted). 

“Second, mindful that our constitutional mandate and institutional competence are

limited, [courts] restrain ourselves from ‘rewrit[ing] state law to conform it to constitutional

requirements’ even as [courts] strive to salvage it.” Id. (quoting Virginia v. Am. Booksellers

Ass’n. Inc., 484 U.S. 383, 397 (1988)). A court’s “ability to devise a judicial remedy that

does not entail quintessentially legislative work often depends on how clearly [the appellate

courts] have articulated the background constitutional rules at issue and how easily [the

court] can articulate the remedy.” Id.; see also United States v. Grace, 461 U.S. 171, 180-

183 (1983) (invoking clearly established First Amendment precedent distinguishing between

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public sidewalks and government buildings as basis for partial invalidation of statute banning

expressive displays). 

Third, when constructing a remedy a court must always consider legislative intent,

“for a court cannot use its remedial powers to circumvent the intent of the legislature.” 

Ayotte, 126 S.Ct. at 968 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). “After finding an

application or portion of a statute unconstitutional, [a court] must next ask: Would the

legislature have preferred what is left of its statute to no statute at all?” Id.

Ayotte considered the appropriate remedy to a constitutional flaw in New

Hampshire’s Parental Notification Prior to Abortion Act (“PNPAA”). N.H. Rev.Stat Ann.

§§132:24-132:28. The district court declared PNPAA facially unconstitutional because it

lacked a health exception, invalidated PNPAA in its entirety, and permanently enjoined its

enforcement Id. at 965. The First Circuit affirmed. Id. The Supreme Court concluded that

an injunction prohibiting only PNPAA’s unconstitutional application was appropriate so long

as the lower courts determine that such relief would be consistent with legislative intent. Id.

at 969.

The Ayotte principles mandate partial invalidation of COAA. First, courts must be

mindful to invalidate no more of a statute than necessary. See Planned Parenthood

Federation of America, Inc. v. Gonzales, 435 F.3d 1163, 1184 (9th Cir. 2006) (citing Ayotte,

126 S.Ct. at 967). 

Second, the background constitutional rules at issue are clearly established: the United

States Supreme Court and lower federal courts have consistently held that a billboard law

may not prohibit non-commercial speech where it permits commercial speech. Indeed, in

light of this clearly established law, nearly all billboard ordinances explicitly permit noncommercial speech where they permit commercial speech. See e.g., Clear Channel Outdoor

Inc., 340 F.3d at 814; Outdoor Sys., Inc., 997 F.2d at 608-609; see also Nat’l Adver. Co. v.

Town of Babylon, 900 F.2d 551, 556-57 (2d Cir.1990) (“After Metromedia struck down the

San Diego ordinance as granting more protection to commercial than noncommercial speech,

municipalities responded by adding provisions to their sign ordinances to overcome this

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defect by permitting noncommercial messages wherever commercial messages are allowed”). 

It is thus a “relatively simple matter” to construct a narrow remedy that enjoins enforcement

of COAA only as far as it impermissibly prohibits non-commercial speech. Ayotte, 126 S.Ct.

at 968 (quoting United States v. Treasury Employees, 513 U.S. 454, 459 n.26 (1995)); see

also National Advertising Co., 861 F.2d at 250 (invalidating billboard ordinance only as to

signs bearing non-commercial messages because the ordinance can function effectively even

if so limited).

Third, partial invalidation of COAA is consistent with legislative intent. Defendant

argues that it is not the State’s intent to prohibit non-commercial speech through COAA, and

thus the State prefers partial invalidation of COAA. Moreover, COAA’s stated legislative

intent is to maintain aesthetics and safety, not to prohibit non-commercial messages. See

Cal. Bus. & Prof Code § 5226. That intent is not violated by permitting non-commercial

signs where the Act already permits commercial signs. Finally, there is nothing in the statute

or legislative history that suggests the legislature explicitly decided to prohibit noncommercial speech where the law permits commercial speech. C.f. Planned Parenthood v.

Gonzales, 435 F.3d at 1186-88 (invalidating entire “partial birth abortion” statute under

Ayotte because the legislative history demonstrated that the statute’s constitutional

flaw–omission of an exception for the health of the woman–was a critical component of the

legislation). 

Accordingly, the Court will not invalidate COAA in its entirety; instead, the Court

will enjoin the State from enforcing COAA to prohibit non-commercial speech wherever the

Act permits commercial speech.

CONCLUSION

COAA violates the First Amendment because it favors commercial speech over noncommercial speech by prohibiting non-commercial speech where it permits commercial

speech. Accordingly, plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on his facial challenge to the

Act’s ban on non-commercial speech is GRANTED and defendant’s motion for summary

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judgment on the same issue is DENIED. The State is enjoined from enforcing COAA to

prohibit non-commercial speech where the Act permits commercial speech.

As this Court’s holding changes the landscape of this action, the parties shall appear

for a Case Management Conference at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 6, 2006 to discuss how

to proceed. Prior to the Conference the parties shall meet and confer and submit a joint case

management conference statement. The statement shall detail the claims remaining at issue

in this lawsuit and how the parties propose to resolve those claims, including whether the

State should re-file its motion for summary judgment. 

The Court is also concerned that unless and until the State amends COAA to comply 

with the First Amendment, the Act will continue to have a chilling effect on the exercise of

the constitutional right to free speech. Those who read the statute may well believe that they

are prohibited from putting up non-commercial signs in certain locations. The parties’ case

management conference statement shall propose methods for addressing this concern; for

example, requiring the State to notify all billboard owners of this Court’s ruling.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: March 23, 2006 

CHARLES R. BREYER

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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