Inglewood coalition presses Newsom to veto billboard bills

An Inglewood coalition is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to veto two California bills that would let stadium owners add highway-ad displays near their venues. The group says the measures could enrich billionaire owners while risking more than $400 million in annual federal highway funding for the state.

Why it matters: - The coalition says AB 2717 and SB 1228 would expand billboard advertising for wealthy stadium owners while threatening public funding tied to federal highway rules. - The group argues the bills could weaken money that supports core city and state services, especially in Inglewood. - Newsom vetoed a nearly identical measure in 2022 over concerns that noncompliant stadium billboards could put more than $400 million in annual federal highway funding at risk.

What happened: - Inglewood Residents for Stadium Accountability urged Newsom to veto AB 2717 and SB 1228, two bills now on his desk. - The bills would authorize stadium owners to build new ad displays along highways near their venues. - The coalition’s push comes as billionaire Los Angeles-area stadium owners spend millions on a local “billboard blight” initiative. - The group says that initiative would remove advertising displays on public property and strip millions of dollars from Inglewood. - The release was issued Sept. 14, 2026.

The details: - AB 2717 is available here. - SB 1228 is available here. - Newsom’s 2022 veto message said stadium billboard proponents should work with federal regulators to modernize Federal Highway Administration guidelines. - The 2022 veto cited the risk to hundreds of millions of dollars in California federal highway funds. - Dr. Bishop Johnny Young of Miracle Temple Church of God Pentecostal said billionaire stadium owners are spending millions to eliminate ad displays they do not own on public property while staying silent on a state proposal that could endanger federal highway funding. - David Rice, an Inglewood City Planning Commissioner, said the threat has grown over the past four years and called on stadium billionaires to join the request for a veto.

Between the lines: - The fight is about more than billboards. It is also a clash over who controls public-facing advertising rights and who pays the price if federal regulators see a conflict with highway rules. - The coalition is trying to frame the stadium owners’ billboard campaign as self-interested, while casting the state bills as a broader fiscal risk for California. - The reference to President Trump reflects the coalition’s view that federal-state tensions make the highway funding issue more urgent, though that is an argument from the group rather than a verified outcome.

What's next: - Newsom will decide whether to sign or veto AB 2717 and SB 1228. - If he vetoes the bills, the current limits on stadium-ad expansion would stay in place. - If he signs them, the state would move toward allowing more billboard construction near stadium highways, setting up another round of federal and state scrutiny.

The bottom line: - The coalition wants Newsom to repeat his 2022 veto and block what it sees as a giveaway to billionaire stadium owners at the potential expense of California highway funding.