Traverso v. People Ex Rel. Department of Transportation

864 P.2d 488, 6 Cal. 4th 1152, 26 Cal. Rptr. 2d 217, 94 Daily Journal DAR 62, 94 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 74, 1993 Cal. LEXIS 6428
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 30, 1993
DocketS029371
StatusPublished
Cited by51 cases

This text of 864 P.2d 488 (Traverso v. People Ex Rel. Department of Transportation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Traverso v. People Ex Rel. Department of Transportation, 864 P.2d 488, 6 Cal. 4th 1152, 26 Cal. Rptr. 2d 217, 94 Daily Journal DAR 62, 94 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 74, 1993 Cal. LEXIS 6428 (Cal. 1993).

Opinions

Opinion

LUCAS, C. J.

Section 5463 of the Business and Professions Code permits the California Department of Transportation (hereafter Caltrans), on 10 days’ written notice, to revoke a permit or license and remove and destroy any off-premises billboard that fails to comply with the provisions of the California Outdoor Advertising Act (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 5200 et seq.; further statutory references are to this code unless otherwise indicated). In this case we must decide whether the provisions of the first paragraph of section 5463, authorizing Caltrans to take such action, impermissibly interfere with the procedural due process guarantees of the state and federal Constitutions. For the reasons set forth below, we uphold the facial validity of the portion of section 5463 in question and find that its application to the billboard owner here did not offend state and federal due process principles.

We express no opinion on the constitutional validity of the statute’s remaining provisions. Our reference here to “section 5463,” rather than to its first paragraph, is for convenience only.

I. Facts

In 1933, the Legislature enacted a statutory scheme for the regulation of off-premises advertising structures. Under then-existing provisions, permits for billboards were issued with little concern for considerations other than safety, structural stability, and public decency. (See 55 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 1, 6 (1972).)

Three decades later, in an attempt to spearhead legislation designed to beautify American cities, President Lyndon Johnson urged Congress to enact [1157]*1157a legislative scheme that would effectively regulate outdoor advertising. (Ill Cong. Rec. 28, 30 (1965).) The congressional response was to amend substantially the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 (23 U.S.C. § 131). Among other provisions, section 131(b) was added, imposing a 10 percent reduction in federal highway funding for any state that failed to maintain “effective control” over highway advertising by enforcing specific standards.

In response to the new federal enactments, the Legislature in 1967 amended the Outdoor Advertising Act (hereafter the Act), greatly expanding the state’s regulatory authority over outdoor advertising by creating stricter standards for the erection and maintenance of billboards. (United Outdoor Advertising Co. v. Business, Transportation & Housing Agency (1988) 44 Cal.3d 242, 245 [242 Cal.Rptr. 738, 746 P.2d 877]; see also People ex rel. Dept. of Transportation v. Naegele Outdoor Advertising Co. (1985) 38 Cal.3d 509, 515-516 [213 Cal.Rptr. 247, 698 P.2d 150].) State regulation was extended to every mile of every major road in California with emphasis placed not only on public safety and welfare, but also on protecting the public investment in California’s highways and on aesthetic considerations. (People ex rel. Dept. Pub. Wks. v. Ryan Outdoor Advertising, Inc. (1974) 39 Cal.App.3d 804, 811 [114 Cal.Rptr. 499].)

The Act requires that in order to engage in the business of outdoor advertising, one must first obtain a license. (§ 5301.) Before placing a billboard that is subject to the Act, the billboard owner must also apply for and secure a written permit. (§ 5350.) Permits must be renewed on January 1 each year, and they expire on December 31 of that year. (§ 5360.)

In 1959, Traverso, licensed to do business as Adco Outdoor Advertising (hereafter Adco), applied for and received two valid permits authorizing placement of a V-shaped advertising display along Highway 101 in Cotati, California. Although the structure technically constituted two displays and therefore required two permits, for convenience we will hereafter refer to these permits collectively as the “permit.”

Following the 1967 amendments to the Act, Adco’s billboard became “nonconforming,” which meant it was lawfully placed in 1959, but did not conform to the provisions of the Act enacted subsequent to the placement (see Cal. Code Regs., tit. 4, § 2241) because it was not located in a business area within the meaning of section 5205. Pursuant to section 5410, a nonconforming billboard is subject to removal on or after July 1, 1970, but [1158]*1158before a nonconforming billboard is removed, its owner must be justly compensated. (See Bus. & Prof. Code, § 5412.) Adco was allowed to maintain its billboard pursuant to a grandfather clause contained in section 5408, subdivision (d), of the Act.

Adco renewed its permit each year up to and including December 31, 1984, as required by section 5360. In early 1984, the billboard fell down due to circumstances that are apparently still undetermined. If the billboard was destroyed “as the result of criminal or tortious acts,” as Caltrans assumes, then repair of the structure must be completed within 30 days after receipt of written notice from Caltrans. (See Cal. Code Regs., tit. 4, § 2272.) If, on the other hand, the billboard blew down in a windstorm as Adco maintains, there appears to be no express time limit for completion of repairs.

In any event, Caltrans sent Adco the following letter, dated February 10, 1984: “A recent outdoor advertising field survey conducted by this branch has indicated that the nonconforming structure owned by you . . . has been removed. [¶] Under the provisions of the Outdoor Advertising Act and the California Administrative Code, Title 4, Chapter 6, customary maintenance is allowed in maintaining a sign as well as replacing a downed or damaged structure provided the replacement cost does not exceed 50% of the appraised value of the sign in its pre-existing state. However, this office must be notified of your plans and be provided a reasonable time schedule for the completion of the job. [¶] Unfortunately, a new application could not be approved for this nonconforming location. So, unless we hear from you within 30 days, we will have to cancel the permit and remove it from our compensable sign list. If you have any questions regarding the above, feel free to contact this office anytime.” The letter was signed by “Stan Lancaster, Chief.”

It is disputed whether Adco responded. In any event, Caltrans notified Adco by letter dated April 30, 1984, that its permit had been revoked. Following receipt of the letter, Adco made no attempt to renew the billboard’s now-revoked permit for 1985 or 1986. Two years later, however, in June 1986, Adco rebuilt the billboard near its original location. It did so without first obtaining Caltrans’s approval or attempting to secure a new permit.

Shortly thereafter, on June 11, 1986, Caltrans posted a notice on the billboard, citing Adco for various violations of the Act, including the [1159]*1159placement of a billboard without a permit. A copy of the notice was immediately mailed to Adco. Adco responded to the notice by claiming that the cited billboard was simply a reconstruction of the original. It did not request an administrative review.

On or about August 31, 1987, after repeated conversations and correspondence between the parties, Caltrans began to remove the billboard pursuant to its authority under section 5463.

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864 P.2d 488, 6 Cal. 4th 1152, 26 Cal. Rptr. 2d 217, 94 Daily Journal DAR 62, 94 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 74, 1993 Cal. LEXIS 6428, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/traverso-v-people-ex-rel-department-of-transportation-cal-1993.