L.A. city councilman calls for new advertising tax

The L.A. Times reports:

A Los Angeles city councilman has called for a new citywide tax on billboards, digital signs and supergraphic advertisements, saying the proceeds could go a long way toward easing the city's long-term budget woes.

Councilman Herb Wesson sent a letter Thursday to Councilman Bernard C. Parks, head of the council's budget and finance committee, saying that an advertising excise tax could generate as much as $50 million annually if it were passed in November by the city's voters. The city faces a budget shortfall of $485 million.