Residents Spar Over Campaign Signs

PALM SPRINGS – Every two years, campaign signs sprout up all over the Coachella Valley. They fill empty lots and they even waitnext you at some bus stops. For some in Palm Springs, they’re just signs of the times. But, for others, these signs might as well be weeds.

“I just hate the fact there are 18 of the same sign on the same block I think that’s a little redundant. I also like to see the signs removed as soon as the election’s over, not 3 weeks later,” says Palm Springs resident Barry Flynn.

The title of “Sign Police” falls to Palm Springs City Clerk Jay Thompson.

“The residents of Palm Springs have very diverse views when it comes to political signs. Some do not like them at all. Some feel the city regulations are overly protective. We’re just asking all the candidates and candidate volunteers to respect the city’s reasonable rules,” explains Thompson.

We took out our tape measure to find out if campaign signs met the 16 square foot limit. Chris Mills’ sign is the largest we found. It measures 8 feet by 2 feet. That’s perfectly legal.

For as many rules as Palm Springs has, Desert Hot Springs is practically the “wild west” of campaign signs. Many signs are just taped here, some just flapping in the wind.

We met Marvin Welton, who recently painted the side of Mayoral candidate Russell Betts’ headquarters on Palm Avenue. He says, “I’m just a local entrepreneur. I was just out hitting the pavement. Looking for work.”

Betts adds, “One thing we definitely need to do is make sure we quit taping paper signs to the light poles at the shopping centers. That looks bad. If we could do something about that, that would be great.”

Even though there are few laws in Desert Hot Springs controlling campaign signs, they won’t be around for long. The signs must be taken down only a few days after the November election.