The Los Angeles City Council has voted to impose a sweeping set of new rules for the costumed characters that have become a fixture on the streets of Hollywood Blvd. Under the proposed ordinance, a "Hollywood Entertainment Zone" would be created to regulate the entertainers, who would need to obtain a pass for their activities each day. No more than 20 would be issued in a single day, with ten available for the north side of the street and another ten for the south side.
The ordinance was proposed by Council Member Mitch O'Farrell and has been sent to the city attorney for drafting. O'Farrell was lobbied by frustrated members of the business community, who complained that the section of Hollywood Blvd. between Highland Ave. and Orange Dr. "had become a chaotic hunting ground for aggressive hawkers preying on out-of-towners."
“Imagine if this was your business and your clientele was families,” said Hard Rock Cafe manager Enrique Ramirez. “We don’t want to be associated with that… People just come here to enjoy Hollywood as it is, not get pestered.”
Hollywood is known as “Hollyweird” for a reason; the absurdity is part of the charm. But, at times, the situation can go from irritating to outright dangerous. Three years ago, a woman was fatally stabbed by one of the characters when she took his photo without permission and refused to give him a dollar in return.
The proposed rules would be similar to regulations imposed on characters in New York's Times Square.
Read more about the proposed ordinance here.
Image Credit: Flickr User shinyasuzuki, https://flic.kr/p/pzpHCy via (CC BY-ND 2.0)