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Billboard advertising company Clear Channel Adshel has made its pitch to Oakland, but city officials aren't ready to buy.
Oakland officials postponed a proposal to let the company begin construction on 256 bus shelters and more than 500 new advertisement signs. Opponents of the plan say it is based on a geography of affluence, rather than on population density.
The city awarded Clear Channel Adshel a franchise agreement in 2001 to build the shelters and 22 information kiosks, in return for removing 12 billboards throughout Oakland. The move was part of a lawsuit settlement after Clear Channel Outdoor filed a protest against the city's alcohol and tobacco advertising restrictions.
Several council members contended that under Clear Channel Adshel's deal, poorer neighborhoods less likely to respond to advertising are also less likely to get new bus shelters.
"I'm just worried that Clear Channel's selection process had more to do with economics than with need," said Councilman Danny Wan.
Councilwoman Jane Brunner added that the language of the proposal gave Clear Channel too much power in its selection process; she wanted to see more community input before giving the company the green light. Her district covers the North Oakland section of the city,...