A request to keep a billboard up along U.S. 101 just south of Eureka was denied by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors in a 3-2 vote Tuesday. Supervisors Michelle Bushnell and Rex Bohn dissented.A special permit from the board given to Allpoints Outdoor Inc. owner Geoff Wills, who leases the billboard to national outdoor advertising company OutFront Media, allowed it to be rebuilt after falling over in a 2019 storm. But the permit required the sign be torn down by September 2025.Some 50 comments were submitted in support of removing the billboard. Others spoke during public comment, largely calling for the owner to be held to the permit’s 2025 deadline.Environmental organization Humboldt Waterkeeper, which has been on a 15-year campaign to remove billboards from the wetlands of Humboldt Bay, requested steps be taken to remove the billboard and concrete footings, in addition to restoration of the wetlands.Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson pointed to the regulatory history of billboards, like the National Highway Beautification Act and California’s Outdoor Advertising Act, and spoke in support of the findings of the planning department.“The billboard is located in a wetland and environmentally sensitive habitat where new billboards are prohibited,” he said.Read More
