The Los Angeles Times and LAist report that the billboard fight between the City of Inglewood, WOW Media and the owners of SoFi Stadium, Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum lands in front of Inglewood voters on November 3.
Two competing measures are on the ballot:
- Measure BB (“Billboard Blight”), officially the Ordinance to Eliminate Advertising on Public Right-of-Way, would bar most commercial advertising on signs in the public right-of-way. It is backed by Neighbors for Beautiful Inglewood, which is funded by Hollywood Park (SoFi) and the Forum.
- Measure AT would remove the $15 million annual cap on SoFi Stadium’s 10% admissions tax and add a new 2.5% admissions tax on venues with fewer than 20,000 seats, including Intuit Dome. The city backs it, and the WOW-funded Inglewood Residents for Stadium Accountability is campaigning for it.
The city’s lead attorney, Skip Miller, told the Times that Inglewood will challenge Measure BB in court if it passes, calling it free-speech discrimination. WOW’s own screens are carrying the “Vote No on BB” campaign, with sitting council members and other local officials featured on the faces.
What’s changed since our last reports
Insider has covered this dispute in Billboard Dispute in California (January 16) and Dueling Initiatives in Inglewood (June 10). Here’s where things stand now.
- The billboard lawsuit went WOW’s way. In January we said the case was “headed for trial.” On June 23, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner ruled for the city and WOW on the merits, upholding the agreement. The challenges were filed by Kroenke’s Pincay Re (Hollywood Park/SoFi) and Steve Ballmer’s Forum Entertainment (Kia Forum/Intuit Dome). The venues have appealed.
- The deal itself. It covers 60 digital signs carrying 108 screens, from bus-shelter-sized kiosks to street displays up to 22 feet tall on sidewalks and medians. The term is 20 years plus two 10-year options, and WOW pays the city 40% of gross revenue. The venues argued the signs undercut sponsor exclusivity; their filing asked whether Pepsi would sponsor a Super Bowl if Coca-Cola could buy full-motion WOW screens next door.
- Kroenke’s claim grew. We reported a $400 million suit in January. Stan Kroenke’s companies now seek $448 million in reimbursement for roads, utilities, streetlights and event-day police and emergency services they fronted. Inglewood paid $20 million in May 2025, then declared the agreement invalid two months later and wants that money back.
- The city’s “we never had authority” argument won round one. In January we noted Inglewood’s claim that it wasn’t authorized to sign the 2015 development agreement. Last month Superior Court Judge David K. Reinart agreed, ruling the agreement void from the start. The ruling leans on a 2018 Moreno Valley decision that development agreements need negotiation and public hearings, not just a voter initiative. The judge also rejected Hollywood Park’s charter-city argument.
- Hollywood Park’s counterpoint. Its lawyers note the city signed four assurances to Kroenke’s lenders that the money would be repaid, three of them after the Moreno Valley decision. Outside counsel John Quinn warns the ruling clouds every development agreement in California, including affordable housing.
- The petitions became ballot measures. The dueling signature drives we covered in June are now Measures BB and AT on the November 3 ballot. The mayor’s race is on the same ballot: Mayor James T. Butts Jr. is seeking a fifth term against Council Member Gloria Gray.
Follow the money
Depending on who is counting, Measure BB either kills a key city revenue line or trims a rounding error. Inglewood is also facing a $30.8 million budget deficit.
| Item | Figure | Source |
| Current city revenue from WOW signs | Up to $7.4M a year | City budget records, via the LA Times |
| City staff estimate of revenue lost if BB passes | $6M to $8M a year | LAist |
| Yes on BB consultant’s estimate for the new kiosk deal | $280K to $1.1M a year (0.1% to 0.5% of the $238M general fund) | LA Times |
| City’s estimate of new revenue from Measure AT | $45M to $50M a year | LAist, LA Times |
| Deficit if BB passes, per city officials | Almost $39M | LAist |
| WOW’s total payments to the city over a decade, per Mayor Butts | More than $30M | CBS News |
Campaign spending is also climbing. The stadium- and WOW-backed committees had spent more than $3.4 million combined through June. WOW’s committee accounted for $1.3 million of that.
Billboard Insider’s take:
WOW has won in court so far, but a ballot box is a different venue than a courtroom. Operators with municipal street-furniture or right-of-way deals should watch this one closely. If a well-funded neighbor can’t beat a city contract in court, Measure BB shows it can try to write the contract out of existence at the ballot box.
The bigger worry is the template. Stadiums, arenas and malls sell exclusivity to sponsors, and digital displays across the street erode that value. Expect more venue owners to fight city sign programs near their gates, through zoning, litigation or initiatives. Even if BB passes, the city’s promised free-speech challenge means the signs could stay lit for a long time.
One small improvement since June: the new “Vote No on BB” creative running on WOW’s screens is far more readable than the cluttered ad we criticized then. One face, one message, big type.
Sources
- How a clash between Inglewood leaders and SoFi Stadium operators hit the ballot, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 23, 2026
- Inglewood Measure BB: Banning billboards, LAist
- Inglewood Measure AT, LAist
- Inglewood is facing a $30.8M budget deficit, LAist
- Miller Barondess Secures Major Victory for City of Inglewood, June 24, 2026
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