Cronies meet their match and lose one

Driving around LA, you cannot help noticing that there is something different.  The digital billboards have gone dark.  Here is the story.

I have mixed feelings about billboards.  If you are going to have them, the digital ones can add a touch of Las Vegas to otherwise drab cityscapes.  This supposes that they do not divert drivers (and bikers and walkers) to the extent that they cause accidents.

But read the story. There was apparently a "backroom deal" in LA's City Hall to allow the digital billboards. But the dealers overreached.  "The digital billboards, which are largely located in West L.A. and Hollywood, have angered homeowners, who complain about the glare."  Do not place these things where they upset residential property owners.  People care very much about their neighborhoods and neighborhood associations have clout.

Crony capitalism does have its limits.  In this case, the cronies had met their match.