(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) — Drive through Simi Valley, especially during election season, and you can’t miss them—small, colorful yard signs perched on street corners, medians, and tucked into grassy patches near busy intersections. From politicians and service clubs to plumbers and furniture stores, these ubiquitous 24″x18″ street signs shout for attention. But why are they everywhere? The answer lies in a struggle local businesses and small nonprofits face daily – the lack of affordable and accessible advertising options.
For many small organizations in Simi Valley, traditional advertising channels are out of reach. Spectrum Cable TV ads and digital campaigns on platforms like Google and Facebook require more money and expertise than many can afford. Print ads in The Simi Valley Acorn and sponsorships for local events are valuable but often have limited reach or high costs. Even the high-profile digital billboard at the Simi Valley Town Center—a potentially game-changing advertising platform—remains elusive due to its unclear access and pricing.
This leaves many small businesses with few viable choices, forcing them to get creative with their marketing strategies.
Enter the humble yard sign. Cheap, easy to produce, and highly visible, these signs have become the go-to advertising method for local entrepreneurs, politicians and charity organizations. For a few dollars, a business can print a handful of signs and place them at strategic locations throughout the city.
“People see them while they’re driving, and that’s all I need,” said Paul Ramirez, a local handyman. “It’s not flashy, but it works. What else can I afford?”
While effective in catching the eye of passersby, the proliferation of these signs hasn’t come without its downsides.
To some residents, the explosion of yard signs feels more like visual pollution than effective marketing. The signs clutter intersections and public spaces, sometimes in violation of local ordinances. This creates tension between businesses trying to survive and a community that values clean, orderly streetscapes.
“I get it—they’re trying to make a living,” said Lisa Thompson, a long-time Simi Valley resident. “But it’s an eyesore when every intersection looks like an elementary school bulletin board.”
The growing reliance on yard signs points to a deeper issue. Simi Valley lacks accessible and affordable advertising options for its community. High-cost platforms and a lack of clarity around promising tools like digital billboards leave advertisers with few choices.
Solutions could include city-led initiatives to provide more affordable marketing platforms or workshops to help businesses navigate digital advertising. Perhaps making high-visibility channels like the Town Center billboard more accessible could also help curb the need for signs cluttering the streets.
For now, the yard signs remain as a testament to the grit and determination of Simi Valley’s small business owners and community organizers. They’re a simple yet effective way to reach an audience, even if they aren’t the most elegant.
Until the city and local stakeholders come together to create better options, these little signs will continue to dot the streets—a reminder of the resourcefulness of our local entrepreneurs and the challenges they face in being seen.
