Advertising for Trouble: Supergraphics Landlord Protested at Home

Curbed L.A. has a report about Sunday's protest by anti-billboard activists at the Brentwood home of Frank Rahban. He is the owner of several buildings in L.A. that have become giant easels on which vinyl supergraphics ads have been draped. The Rahban-owned office building at 10801 National Boulevard has become especially controversial -- some landscaping trees have been cut down, allegedly, so that the ads, manufactured by World Wide Rush, are visible to drivers on the nearby Santa Monica Freeway. In one wry coup de theatre Sunday, a large reproduction of one of those ads, for Tropicana juice, was parked at the protest site on North Bristol Avenue.


The demonstrators were no black-hooded anarchists but homeowners who live near Rahban's office buildings. They were organized by Barbara Broide, President of the Westwood South of Santa Monica Homeowners, and a board member of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight. At one point during the protest, Rahban emerged from his driveway inside a Mercedes Benz and sped away as demonstrators called out, "Shame on you!"