LA Citybeat reports on a new law that will impose a $21.69 permit fee on every free-standing newsrack in the city (how'd they come up with that number?) and mandate that all racks be painted a standard color over the next seven years, as well as limited to sixteen per block face, one rack per publication. The standard color will be green, which I think is a good choice, because it'll help compensate for the lack of trees in many LA neighborhoods.

Citybeat reports that a coalition of publications formed to fight this ordinance fell apart when the LA Times withdrew its objections. (If I understand the ordinance correctly, since the LAT racks are sized correctly and already green-- though, really, they're more brownish, don't you think?-- they won't need to be retrofitted) Curiously, the article doesn't discuss the impact this will have on those free escort-ad papers which, by my count, comprise about thirty percent of newsrack content in the city.

(link via L.A. Observed)