Opinion ID: 732386
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Regulation of Commercial Speech

Text: 25 To be valid, an ordinance that restricts commercial speech that concerns lawful activity and is not misleading must (1) seek to implement a substantial governmental interest; (2) directly advance that interest; and (3) reach no further than necessary to accomplish the given objective. Outdoor Systems, Inc. v. City of Mesa, 997 F.2d 604, 610 (9th Cir.1993) (citing Central Hudson Gas & Elec. Corp. v. Public Serv. Comm., 447 U.S. 557, 563-66, 100 S.Ct. 2343, 2350-51, 65 L.Ed.2d 341 (1980)). As the party seeking to regulate commercial speech, the City has the burden of affirmatively establishing that the ordinance meets each of these three elements. Board of Trustees of the State Univ. of New York v. Fox, 492 U.S. 469, 480, 109 S.Ct. 3028, 3034-35, 106 L.Ed.2d 388 (1989); see also Bolger v. Youngs Drug Prods. Corp., 463 U.S. 60, 71 n. 20, 103 S.Ct. 2875, 2882 n. 20, 77 L.Ed.2d 469 (1983) (party seeking to uphold a restriction on commercial speech carries the burden of justifying it). 26 Appellants contend that the City has failed to establish the existence of a substantial governmental interest that satisfies the first prong of the Central Hudson test. We agree. 27 Although aesthetics and safety represent substantial governmental interests, see Metromedia, Inc. v. San Diego, 453 U.S. 490, 507-08, 101 S.Ct. 2882, 2892, 69 L.Ed.2d 800 (1981) (traffic safety and the appearance of the city are substantial governmental goals), in this case, the City has not shown that it enacted its ordinance to further any interest in aesthetics and safety. The ordinance lacks any statement of purpose concerning those interests. See National Advertising Co. v. Town of Babylon, 900 F.2d 551, 555-56 (2d Cir.) (invalidating ordinance containing no statement of purpose), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 852, 111 S.Ct. 146, 112 L.Ed.2d 112 (1990). Furthermore, the City provided no evidence that the ordinance promotes those interests. Because the City failed to provide any evidence that it had an interest in safety and aesthetics or that the ordinance furthered those interests, the district court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the City. 2