Mobile Billboard Advertising and the 14th Amendment
In an interesting case regarding prohibited ordinances, plaintiffs operated a fleet of standalone trailers that were specially constructed to display signs or banners, which the company used to advertise its burglary alarm services, as well as other products and political causes.
Previously, the California State Legislature enacted a series of amendments to the Vehicle Code empowering local municipalities to regulate mobile billboards. The new sections of the Vehicle Code authorized cities to adopt laws penalizing the parking of portable, non-motorized wheeled vehicles that carry signs and are for the primary purpose of advertising. The enabling legislation also allowed cities to regulate motor vehicles bearing “advertising signs that are not permanently affixed and that extend beyond the overall length, width, or height of the vehicle.”