LA Eyes Ban On Alcohol Ads On City Property After Bus Bench Deal
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A new contract for bus bench advertising in the city of Los Angeles will include a voluntary ban on alcohol ads.
And as KNX 1070's John Brooks reports, it could be just the first step in what one lawmaker hopes will become a ban on all city property.
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The agreement with Martin Outdoor Media includes a pledge to exclude beer or other alcohol messages from the hundreds of benches it will install around the city.
"It inspires us to go the next step, which is to eliminate alcohol advertising from all city property," said City Councilman Richard Alarcon.
Alarcon is set to introduce a proposal that would do prohibit alcohol ads from a variety of locations, including bus shelters newspaper racks, kiosks and public toilets.
While alcohol ads are already banned on all MTA buses and trains, content in ads on private property is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Proponents of such a measure claim the ads will make young people more likely to drink in excess and even fall into alcohol addiction.
