Judge blocks Portland quake warning sign ordinance

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A judge has blocked the city of Portland from enforcing its earthquake warning sign ordinance while a lawsuit over the policy plays out.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports U.S. Magistrate Judge John Acosta had already issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the city from enforcing the rule, which requires the warning signs on brittle brick buildings that are especially vulnerable to earthquakes.

On Thursday, he extended that injunction.

Acosta wrote that a group of owners of affected buildings had shown they have a substantial likelihood of succeeding in their claim that the signs violate their First Amendment right to free speech, and that enforcing the ordinance in the meantime would cause irreparable harm.

The ordinance passed in October. The policy was introduced as a compromise after the city pushed back a timeline for mandating full seismic retrofits.