Digital billboards coming to downtown San Jose with $20M deal, but not everyone's on board

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Advertising in downtown San Jose is about to get bigger and brighter. Five digital billboards will be installed at four different and notable locations: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, McEnery Convention Center and two parking garages.

"Things like signage will help display San Jose as a world-class city," Councilmember Pam Foley said.

According to the plan, the city at a minimum will receive $20 million over the next 20 years for the advertising deal.

The city will have free use of the billboards 15% of the time which could include promoting local events.

MORE: Community makes mark on transforming Downtown San Jose with mural

City Council voted unanimously to approve the proposal despite some pushback from residents including Les Levitt, the co-founder of the coalition called No Digital Billboards San Jose.

"Downtown San Jose is a small town big city. We are not Las Vegas, we're not Denver, we're not Miami," Levitt said.

The group was created five years ago when the city was considering a plan to install over 100 digital billboards.

Levitt said the city did a survey a few years ago and there was overwhelming opposition from residents.

"We don't think that this contributes to the local economy because most of the advertising is programmed by a company from out of state and their mission is to program national brands," Levitt said.

That company is Orange Barrel Media, headquartered in Ohio.

They have signs in major cities like Boston, Atlanta and West Hollywood.

MORE: Special election approved for open San Jose city council seat

Robert Lindo, Vice President and Director of Casino M8trix spoke in support of the plan.

"If we want to grow up and be a big city like the cities we saw on that list, that Orange Barrel is already doing this in, we're going to need to make bold decisions like this," Lindo said.

According to the city, these installations are not traditional billboards but rather 'dynamic digital art.'

Alex Stettinski is the CEO of San Jose Downtown Association.

"These billboards bring brightness and visual vibrancy to areas that are usually rather dark at night and do not look or feel like a vibrant downtown," Stettinksi said.

The two signs proposed at the Center for the Performing Arts could be up as early as this fall, and the sign at the Convention Center could be installed in early 2026.

"This proposal is not a blanket endorsement of billboards citywide," Councilmember Foley said.

Councilmember David Cohen said having these signs up by the summer of 2026 will be in time for the traffic the city is expecting with events happening next year.