Rival Proposals to Curb Panhandlers Appear at City Hall

Dueling versions of aggressive anti-panhandling laws appeared at Los Angeles City Hall late Friday, as politicians scrambled to jump on a popular issue less than three months before they face the voters April 8.

The ordinances--which would ban begging near banks, ATMs, public buildings and private property and prohibit people from following, touching, blocking or threatening their solicitation targets--emerged one day after candidates for Los Angeles city attorney were queried about the issue at a public debate.

Mayor Richard J. Riordan and several City Council members had scheduled a press conference for Tuesday to unveil their ordinance. It was written by a private attorney--working for free--who specializes in the 1st Amendment.

But Riordan was upstaged when City Atty. James K. Hahn issued a press release Friday saying he had sent the City Council members copies of two proposed ordinances concerning panhandling and camping by vagrants.

Hahn acknowledged that his office typically prepares legislation the council requests, not on its own, but said he had been working with lawmakers for months. Riordan’s office, too, claimed it had been working on the issue for nearly a year.

Neither ordinance has been introduced into the legislative process, just circulated to the news media.