Outdoor Systems did not return a phone call from the Journal . North Coast Railroad Authority had better luck in the mid-1990s when it convinced 3M to remove eight signs on railroad property between Arcata and Eureka. But the company refused to remove at least 12 others the NCRA wanted to eliminate. Folks in the local outdoor advertising industry record the eight signs in the debit column. They also lament the loss of billboards south of Eureka several years ago, when CalTrans built the Humboldt Hill interchange.
Billboard opponents seem to have the opposite impression.
They see billboards sprouting up everywhere. County planning department figures show seven new billboards permitted in the last 10 years, but some heavily used stretches of Highway 101 are in city jurisdictions. Fortuna Planning Director Lisa Shikany said the city has little property near the freeway and only a few billboards on Main Street within the city limits. Kevin Hamblin, planning director for Eureka, said he can only recall two or three new billboards in the last 10 years and one on city property that was removed. He does remember the Lottery billboard on Broadway, which caused a stir about six years ago.