Neighborhood leaders on L.A.'s Westside responded with fury five years ago after the City Council allowed dozens of digital billboards to go up on Santa Monica Boulevard, Westwood Boulevard and a handful of other major corridors.

Now those same activists warn that the council is fast-tracking a behind-the-scenes plan to let those brightly lit signs stay for good — even after a judge struck down the agreement that spawned them.

Council members are scheduled Tuesday to decide whether to try to hammer out a new agreement with billboard companies within 30 days, or before an appeals court issues a ruling that could further restrict digital signs.

Councilmen Ed Reyes and Paul Krekorian said in their proposal that a new billboard agreement could deliver a "significant" chunk of digital billboard revenue to the city, money that would then be used to preserve basic services. But billboard foes contend that council members are doing the bidding of the outdoor advertising industry, keeping neighborhood activists in the dark about the planned talks and bypassing the committee where outdoor sign issues are typically vetted.

"If the council continues down this path … it means all of the digital billboards that exist now are likely to remain and future digital billboards could be developed in exchange for money" or other enticements, said Barbara Broide, president of the Westwood South of Santa Monica Blvd. Homeowners Assn.

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