By way of example, new documents reveal that Lamar demolished 544 billboards in Los Angeles without obtaining the required permits to do so, virtually daring city government to do something about it.
Freedom Magazine first learned through the California Public Records Act (CPRA) that, on April 14, 2023, Eric Jakeman—an employee from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) Code Enforcement Bureau—incredulously exclaimed of Lamar’s flagrant legal violations, “Holy Moses, they’ve taken down 544 signs without a permit?”
Yes, they did, and nearly three years later, they still have not obtained the retroactive permits required.
“The demolition of those billboards wasn’t permitted.”
“The Los Angeles Municipal Code requires a permit to be applied for and issued prior to the demolition of a sign,” Gail Gaddi, public information director for the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, told Freedom Magazine in a prepared statement. “The demolition of the subject billboard sign was done without the required permit. This unpermitted demolition resulted in the Department issuing an Order to Comply.”
That “Order to Comply” apparently remains open.
“We have received word from Code Enforcement that there have been a large number (544) of off-site billboards which have been demolished without a permit,” LADBS Building Civil Engineer Topher Komancheck wrote. “The owner, Lamar Advertising, has been notified that they are required to obtain a permit to legalize the removal of the billboards.”
“The demolition of those billboards wasn’t permitted,” one Los Angeles city official explained to Freedom, on a condition of anonymity. “The next step would be for them to make those corrections and, if not, further actions would take place.”
When asked what such actions might consist of, the answer was unambiguous.
“If the responsible party refuses to comply with the LAMC [Los Angeles Municipal Code] requirements, the matter would be forwarded to the City Attorney’s office for further enforcement,” said Devin Myrick, government and community relations director for LADBS.
Well? It’s been three long years since officials discovered that Lamar was violating the law.
Perhaps it’s time to do something about it.
It’s not a cheap fix either. If the 544 off-site billboards that were demolished without a permit equated to 544 unpermitted pole sign demolitions, Lamar Advertising Company could be charged up to $217,600 in investigation fees.
And the Los Angeles violations are far from the only illegalities the scofflaw company has perpetrated—far from it.
Founded in 1902, Lamar boasts having 360,000 displays in the US and Canada, and claims they “live by the Golden Rule and operate with honesty and integrity in every aspect of our business.”
Uh-huh. Sure they do.
In Tallahassee, a lawyer and environmentalist reported to city authorities, “Employees of Lamar Outdoor Advertising (as part of a seven-year covert roadside tree poisoning/killing program systematically carried out by Lamar) admit or confirm that they poisoned one or more trees in front of the Army Surplus Store on North Monroe Street.”
“Both the corporation and its employees who carried out this illegal program have so far avoided all responsibility.”
The lawyer went on to describe how a Lamar employee “targeted these trees in front of the Army Surplus Store because he wanted a longer and clearer viewing zone for the digital billboard just north of the Store. Digital billboards are hugely profitable to billboard companies.
“This is a case of corporate vandalism at a scale and duration hard to stomach.… Both the corporation and its employees who carried out this illegal program have so far avoided all responsibility for their damage to the property of others and to the scenic beauty of our city.”
The company got into the same trouble in Ohio, where they removed 34 trees from private property. Taken to court, Lamar lost that one, and the plaintiffs were awarded over $2 million.
Public records furnished by the New York Department of Buildings confirm that Lamar’s contempt for local laws and communities stretches from the West to the East Coast—as standard operating procedure. Since 2019 alone, Lamar has had over 150 violations of New York land use regulations such as billboard erection without a permit, billboards installed too close to a park or a highway, or billboards installed illegally in other locations.
The Department even provided Freedom an itemized tracking grid, complete with hundreds of entries, including addresses and inspector descriptions of violations.
Against this backdrop, it’s no surprise that Lamar went into business with a handful of scam artists whose hate group poses as a “foundation” while inciting acts of violence against members of a religious community.
If there is a lesson to be learned from all of this, it is that the wise man considers the source. When you see billboards attacking a worldwide religion that is deeply loved and respected by millions across the globe, ask yourself, “Who on Earth would facilitate this?”
Lawbreakers with something to hide, that’s who.
And as FOIA responses on Lamar’s serial misconduct continue to roll in, we’ll keep publishing the paper trail.
