The controversy over a proposed bus ad pointing out a disparity in city park distribution in Fresno is still causing a stir, a week after it was rejected by the city for being “too political.”
The Fresno advocacy group Building Health Communities is planning to formally request a list of all the ads that have been rejected by the city or advertising company Lamar.
Lamar is the first stop when deciding if an ad violates a city ordinance that forbids certain ads on bus wraps.
Ads that are considered political, controversial, or reference drugs and alcohol are forbidden according to city policy.
Valley Public Radio News requested a similar list of ads that have been rejected.
According to the Fresno city spokesperson Mark Standriff at least six other ads have been rejected by the city. They include the following, with the reason the city rejected the ads:
Building Health Communities-political
SEIU-political
Earth Justice- farm worker wages/political
ARMA energy snack- ‘crack in a bag’ drug reference
Valley Wide beverages-alcohol related
Don’t serve teens- alcohol, political
Kaiser Workers Union- political
It’s unclear how far back the information on rejected ads goes, or if any other ads were rejected.
According to the city, Lamar Advertising also works with potential advertisers to change ads to make them acceptable according to city standards.
This is a list, according to the city, of ads that were modified to meet city regulations:
No Surrender laser tag- had pictures of kids shooting each other with laser guns, changed the picture
Info to Islam- not clear what was changed
Hooters- picture
Thread and sugar salon- beauty services, also not clear what was changed
Valley Public Radio News has reached out to the Fresno City Attorney for clarification on the city ordinance and how it is applied. This story will be updated to reflect any new information.
