City of Escondido v. Desert Outdoor Advertising, Inc.

Opinion

BURKE, J.

In this case we are asked to decide whether, under applicable law as it existed in 1965, a general law city could regulate the placement of signs and billboards along freeways without the necessity of complying with the law governing the adoption of zoning ordinances.

City of Escondido (“City”), a general law city, asserts that Government Code section 38774 1 authorized cities to regulate the placement of such signs and billboards by the enactment of an ordinance adopted in the manner prescribed for the adoption of ordinances generally. 2 Defendants, an outdoor advertising…