Harshed Mellow - New Venice Lottery Stifles the Boardwalk?*
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I discovered a new city ordinance this weekend that just - excuse the expression - blows my mind:
If Los Angeles is arguably the creative capital of planet Earth, and the Venice Boardwalk the freest of its free zones, then who the hell passed the city law that now says you cannot be a street performer on the western edge of Ocean Front Walk, or even criticize the government there without a permit?
Upon spotting protest signs and angry drummers rallying on the boardwalk over the weekend, I Googled the phrase "Venice Lottery" and learned the appalling news:
Apparently, you now need to enter a lottery to even be eligible to set up a booth, wield a bullhorn, blow a digeridoo, hand out bumper stickers, etch names on a grain of rice, or just stand mutely behind a tiny placard that says what you think ...
If your number comes up, you'll get one of 154 lifetime, nontransferable permits to occupy an assigned 8-by-20-foot protest space on the boardwalk's seaward fringe. If not, the LAPD hassles you into leaving, and tickets you if you refuse.
Rob Wasserman reports in the Argonaut:
The City of Los Angeles and its Department of Recreation and Parks officials say they established the lottery in an effort to bring some control to chaos among the throngs that wanted to "take over" the west side of the boardwalk to promote whatever they were promoting at the moment ...
At Saturday's drawing 83 of the spaces were assigned to general expressionists, while 12 were assigned to street performers ...
- In the case of more permit holders in the lottery than spaces, persons not receiving an assigned space will not be allowed to make space for themselves on the boardwalk during the permit period and will have to wait until the next lottery.
- There is to be no set-up or activity on the boardwalk between dusk and 9 a.m.
- No structures, furniture, canopies, tents or umbrellas over four feet or with more than two sides are allowed.
Department of Recreation and Parks staff manages the program, which includes set-up, day-end, and periodic inspections to ensure compliance with the regulations.
For the first violation of a regulation, a violator will receive a warning.
A second violation will warrant a suspension of the permit.
For a series or third violation, the permit could be revoked for a one-year period before re-application would be permitted.
The ordinance raises more problems than it solves:
If Harry Perry quits skating for a minute and stands on that side of the boardwalk playing fuzztone guitar without a permit can they pop him?
Will the spraycan-fantasy guy get hustled off before his Krylon galaxies dry? What about the guys who bring over buckets of sand and spend all day sculpting mermaids for spare change - do the cops have to kick apart their mermaids after running them off?
I can't wait to see the inevitable test cases on this one hit L.A. County Municipal Court.
The next lottery is scheduled for March 12. Anyone care to wager how long this lasts?
