Item 24 - Council Requested Item - Update Sign Ordinance

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City Properly. Land or other property in which the City of Los Altos holds a present right of possession and control, city road easements, and all public rights -of -way, regardless of ownership. Co -Sponsored. An event for which the city council authorizes the city to be listed as a co-sponsor, or the city bears some of the cost of the event. Heritage Event. Those community events which have been traditionally celebrated or observed in Los Altos, or are otherwise tied to community history, including the events listed in City Resolution No. 2010-32, city special event sponsorship, said resolution may be amended from time to time by the city council. Protected. Means that a message on a sign is not within one of the categories of expression which the courts have declared to be outside the protection of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or the corollary provisions of the California Constitution. 9.26.040 - Private party signs prohibited unless specifically allowed. City property may be used by private parties for the display of signs only as explicitly allowed by this chapter. All other private use of city property, for display of signs, is prohibited. Any unauthorized sign posted on city property may be summarily removed by the city as a trespass and a public nuisance. 9.26.050 - Temporary signs displaying noncommercial messages. In traditional public forum areas, private persons may display temporary signs with protected noncommercial messages thereon, provided that their sign(s) conform(s) to all of the following: A. The sign(s) must be personally worn or held by a person, or personally attended by one or more persons. "Personally attended" means that a person is physically present within five feet of the sign at all times. B. The signs may be displayed only during the time period of sunrise to sunset, except on occasions when the city council or other public body of the city is holding a public hearing or meeting which is open to the public; on such occasions, the display period is extended to thirty (30) minutes after such meeting is officially adjourned. C. The maximum aggregate size of all signs held by a single person is six square feet, measured one side only. Visible images which are displayed as part of personal apparel do not count toward this maximum. For purposes of this rule, apparel and other aspects of personal appearance do not count towards the maximum aggregate sign area. D. The maximum cumulative size of signs which are personally attended by two or more persons acting in concert is twelve (12) square feet measured one side only. This rule does not apply when persons acting in concert are physically located more than one hundred (100) feet from one another. E. Signs displayed under this provision may have no more than two display faces, may not be inflated, air -activated, specially illuminated, project any sharp edges or points, emit smoke or Updated October 2012 - 2 -