CITY HALL — Pacific Park is getting a “notice of violation” for flaunting City Hall’s sign ordinance, but won’t have to pay up for its offense.
The Santa Monica Code Compliance department was planning to issue the notice, which serves as a written warning, to the amusement park operator on Tuesday for displaying unauthorized shoe advertisements, including a nine-story supergraphic on its Ferris wheel, City Manager Rod Gould said.
The Ferris wheel ad and one or two other illegal signs advertising Asics shoes were on display at the amusement park on the Santa Monica Pier during the Los Angeles Marathon on March 21, Gould said, but have since come down.
The ads were apparently put up especially for the event, which brought tens of thousands of runners and spectators to the race’s finish line on Ocean Avenue near the pier.
Gould said he had intended to cite the amusement park operators for violating the ordinance but later learned that Pacific Park had only received a verbal warning to heed the sign rules, not a written one, before Sunday’s event. City Hall’s policy is to provide a written notice before issuing a fine.
“We cannot cite and fine at this point,” Gould said. Future sign ordinance violations at Pacific Park would result in a $250 fine each day an illegal sign is up, he said.
Gould said he was planning to discuss the violations with Mary Ann Powell, Pacific Park’s CEO, but hadn’t reached her by Tuesday afternoon.
In a brief statement issued Tuesday, a spokesman for the amusement park said the company is cooperating with City Hall.
“Pacific Park continues to work in good faith with the city of Santa Monica to resolve any signage compliance issues related to the Los Angeles Marathon,” the statement read.
nickt@www.smdp.com
