L.A. Considering 2 Opposing Mural Ordinances

The City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee advanced a mural ordinance to the full council Tuesday, bringing the city a step closer to lifting a ban on murals on private property.

The full council is scheduled to hash out the long-debated mural ordinance at an Aug. 20 meeting. The proposed ordinance defines murals as non-commercial works of art, distinguishing them from signs -- advertising goods and services -- that are subject to different rules.

City attorneys presented the committee with two versions of the ordinance -- one that would allow and one that would prohibit murals on single-family homes. The committee did not arrive at any recommendations on the issue, forwarding reports from the city attorney, planning commission and Cultural Affairs Commission to the City Council for further discussion.

City officials will also report back on a process for allowing individual communities to decide whether it wants to legalize murals for single-family homes.

Councilman Jose Huizar, who chairs the PLUM Committee, said the final ordinance would help restore Los Angeles' reputation as the "mural capital of the world."

-- City News Service