Measure J Campaign Banner Hangs Over Embarcadero

A Yes on Measure J banner hung over Embarcadero Road for three weeks despite a city code barring signs on public property.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Civic Engagement

Photograph of a bare concrete highway overpass over an empty road with mature trees beyond, under soft overcast daylight, evoking the city's public infrastructure. — The Yes on Measure J campaign paid a city fee and secured a permit to hang a banner over Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto for three weeks, despite a city code barring signs on public property. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Yes on Measure J campaign received a city permit and paid a fee to hang a banner over the Embarcadero Road underpass at Alma Street for three weeks. Palo Alto municipal code states no sign shall be placed on any public property, creating conflicting information about the arrangement.

Why it matters

The banner raised questions about how the city applies its sign rules during a local ballot campaign. Measure J would fund renovations to Cubberley Community Center, a local facility that affects residents directly.

Measure J is a half-cent sales tax to pay for renovating Cubberley Community Center, with revenue going to the city's general fund and no expiration date. The city plans to buy 7 acres of Cubberley property from the Palo Alto Unified School District for $65.5 million, and the extent to which the banner arrangement will be reviewed has not been stated.

The players

Yes on Measure J campaign

The local ballot committee supporting the half-cent sales tax to renovate Cubberley Community Center, which obtained the city permit and rented the banner space.

City of Palo Alto

The municipal government that issues banner permits on its overpasses and enforces the municipal code prohibiting signs on public property.

The details

The campaign rented space on the Embarcadero Road overpass, which the city rents out for banners, paying for two weeks on one side and one week on the other in October. The city asked for the campaign's committee name and Fair Political Practices Commission number when it applied.

October 2026: Campaign rents banner space over Embarcadero Road for three weeks.
November 3, 2026: Banner's final day over Embarcadero Road, just before election day.

Civic Engagement Context

The municipal code prohibiting signs on public property sets the baseline against which the city's decision to rent Embarcadero Road overpass space to a ballot committee is measured. The conflict between that written rule and the permit granted to the Yes on Measure J campaign is the point of tension in this story.

Residents who drive under the Embarcadero Road overpass may see campaign banners during election season while the city's permit process is reviewed. The sign rules that apply to public property determine what campaigns can display in Palo Alto.

The takeaway

Local sign rules and permit decisions shape how ballot campaigns reach voters, and readers can check the municipal code to see which displays are allowed on public property.