Update Feb 22: Growing Opposition to LED Electronic Billboards at Lake Temescal

by Jeff Kahn, Guest Author

Despite growing opposition, the proposal to construct five huge electric LED billboard towers at sites in Oakland, including two next to Lake Temescal, continues to advance toward a vote by the Oakland City Council.

Most of the targeted locations for the billboards are along the I-880 corridor, but two of the proposed possible sites are at the PG&E substation next to Lake Temescal Regional Park at the intersection of Highways 24 and 13. Each one will be up to 85-feet above highway level, illuminated on two sides, and be from 48-to-60-feet wide and from 14-to-20-feet high.

A previously planned February Council vote has now been rescheduled for March 24, at 1:30 pm, at the City Council Community and Economic Development Committee meeting. If the committee approves the measure, it is scheduled to be voted on by the full Oakland City Council on April 14.

Joining the Friends of Lake Temescal (Facebook group) in opposing the billboards at that site, the Sierra Club Northern Alameda County group has acted to oppose the billboards. Its letter to the City Council members stated that, “The Sierra Club writes to express our opposition to the proposed installation of electronic billboards at the Lake Temescal site.

While our organization has maintained a national stance against highway billboard proliferation since 1969, we are most concerned by the profound environmental and aesthetic degradation this specific location would suffer. The proposed placement overlooking Lake Temescal would create 24/7 light into a critical wildlife corridor, creating a significant visible impact that is fundamentally incompatible with the pastoral nature of the park.”

The billboard proposal has been sponsored by council members Charlene Wang and Noel Gallo. The council members who will vote on the issue on March 24 include Rowena Brown, Janani Ramachandran, Zac Unger, and Carroll Fife.

In a phone meeting with members of the Friends of Lake Temescal, council member Zac Unger reiterated his opposition to the Temescal billboards. Council member Ramachandran has previously spoken in opposition to the Lake Temescal billboard sites. Council members Brown and Fife have not responded to letters of opposition to the billboards and their positions are unknown.

The March 24 and April 14 City Council meetings are public and members of the public who sign up ahead of time can speak. Prior to the meeting, you can email City Council members and let them know how you feel about this crass sell-out of our city, neighborhoods, and our regional park. Tell them to vote no on the Temescal billboards.