As of September 1, 2011, ALL 1,875 retail establishments are prohibited from providing light-weight, single-use plastic carryout bags to customers at the point of sale. MORE

By Jason Islas
Lookout Staff

September 14, 2011 -- The Santa Monica City Council changed the municipal code Tuesday, allowing the city to hang banners downtown that will benefit local businesses.

Previously, the code gave the city authority to hang banners promoting city-sponsored events, holidays and as decorations, but outlawed banners benefiting private entities.

The amendment allows the city greater discretionary power, letting it hang banners “promoting or calling attention to the City and its economic vitality,” according to city staff. Programs like Buy Local Santa Monica will benefit from the new rules.

“Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. is in full support of the amendment,” Debbie Lee, director of marketing and communications with Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., told The Lookout Tuesday.

“It's a really effective tool to let people know about things” like the Buy Local campaign, she said.

The amendment, which passed unanimously Tuesday night, is a minor adjustment in wording that allows the city to promote commercial activities in public spaces – a power that the city did not have.

Over the years, the question of temporary banners and signs has been addressed on several occasions.

According to the staff report, temporary banners were singled out by city ordinance and banned, except for advertising public events. Over time, the municipal code was relaxed due to concerns over restrictions on constitutional rights.

A change in 2007, meant to allow for the use of banners for holiday decorations, resulted in the most recent ordinance. In 2007, the council specifically decided that the banners should not be used for commercial purposes.

According to the staff report, the areas that will be mostly affected by this change will be the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade area. This region, formerly known as the Bayside District, recently has been rebranded as Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.

The rebranding of the Downtown area is also reflected in the amendment.