Brentwood Bus Benches Won’t Serve as Billboards

Martin Outdoor Media recently won a contract to place bus benches all over Los Angeles. In return, Martin was granted the right to place ads on these bus benches. An estimated 4,000 bus benches are to be placed in the next five years.
But allowing bus benches in Brentwood that contained ads would be a violation of a scenic corridor specific plan that governs signage throughout Brentwood. Local residents mobilized and testified before the LA City Council downtown.
As a result, the City Council amended its contract with Martin, assuring no advertising-clad bus benches in Brentwood.
Bill Rosendahl and fellow councilwoman Jan Perry sponsored the bill to amend the contract with Martin.
Martin must pay a percentage of incoming advertising revenues to the city, estimated at $2.7 million over 10 years. Another company’s contract was not renewed after the city determined it was not getting a full accounting of the number of bus benches and ad revenues due the city.
Keeping the bus benches advertising-free was viewed as a huge victory by community leaders who overwhelmingly view advertising like this as a form of visual blight.
In recent years, Tom Safran, local housing developer and philanthropist, has spearheaded a drive to place tasteful, ad-free benches and trash receptacles throughout Brentwood.
Because Safran and his supporters have done such a good job, community leaders felt there would be no loss to Brentwood in opting out from the “free bus benches (with ads)†program the City Council was offering. Bus benches slated for Brentwood will now be placed elsewhere throughout the city.