Ed. Note: Updates have been made to this story as requested by the city of Santa Clarita. 

The election for the fifth district seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is looming in Santa Clarita. Also looming are signs promoting State Senator Bob Huff for the board, signs that, according to a city ordinance, may be illegal.

The signs, posted on several public areas over streets and sidewalks throughout Santa Clarita, seem to encroach on “public right-of-way,” a designation for city-owned spaces where candidates are prohibited from placing campaign signs.

At least one large sign was hung on a chain-link fence Tuesday on city property bordering a sidewalk in Newhall. Numerous smaller signs were hung on other fences and street lights.

The Santa Clarita municipal code defines the public right-of-way as “any place of any nature which is dedicated to use by the public for pedestrian and vehicular travel.”

When contacted, Daniel Rivas, the community preservation administrator for the city of Santa Clarita, amended that definition to include “the sidewalk area, parkway area (and) anything in the medians out in the streets.”

Signs in the right-of-way area will be taken down by city officials, said Rivas.

“We do have officers that conduct public right-of-way sweeps regardless of election season,” he said. “So when officers are going out and addressing that, if they come upon them, then they will remove those things proactively.”

The first time a candidate places promotional material in a restricted area, the signs are confiscated by the city and a notice is sent providing 10 days to reclaim the property, according to Rivas.

The signs will be returned to the candidate if they choose to pick them up from city hall and a fine of $50 is imposed regardless of the number of signs removed. However, if the signage continues a second time within a twelve month period, a fee will be charged to the candidate for each sign.

“They will be issued a $100 citation for each and every single sign,” Rivas said. “And then if there is a third occurrence… the fine increases from $100 to $250 per sign.”

The owner or other person in control of the illegally placed noncommercial sign receiving notice may also elect to have the city store the sign for a period of 45 days, unless the sign relates to an ascertainable event in which case until after the event to which the sign relates has occurred, the sign may be picked up from the city without the imposition of any fine, city officials said.

Signs promoting Huff have also made their way onto private property in the Newhall area, at least one without permission.

Along Newhall Avenue, several small signs have been placed on private property being managed by Coldwell Banker Commercial. However, these signs were reportedly placed without the approval of the business.

“No permission was requested or granted,” said a representative from Coldwell Banker Commercial.

The city does not intervene in the consent of sign placement on private property, Rivas said, calling such issues “a civil matter,” which is between the property owner and the person placing the sign on private property.

“If (the owners are) unaware of (signs placed on their property), if they didn’t (provide) consent,” he said, “the owner has the right to remove (the signs).

City officials are unable to determine the legality of Huff’s campaign signs without an official investigation being launched, Rivas said.

Huff’s campaign officials did not return multiple requests for comment by KHTS AM-1220.