Anaheim : Fortunetellers Given City Council’s Blessing

Fortunetellers can now set up shop in Anaheim, following a unanimous vote with no discussion by City Council members Tuesday.

The city officials repealed an ordinance that has banned fortunetelling in Anaheim for 40 years and, instead, established a $300 business license fee for such businesses.

Neil Schwartz, an attorney for Barney Todorovich and his family, had threatened to sue Anaheim officials unless the city changed its position.

“We firmly believe that the California Supreme Court will affirm the right of fortunetellers to operate in municipalities on free-speech grounds,” Schwartz wrote council members in a letter dated Jan. 3.

In April, 1984, the California Court of Appeal invalidated a City of Azusa ordinance prohibiting fortunetelling, according to Schwartz and an Anaheim staff report.

“The ordinance was invalid on the premise that it was a violation of freedom of speech and freedom of religion,” Schwartz wrote in a letter dated July 6.

Other Orange County cities that allow fortunetelling charge from $75 to $1,000 per year for the business-license fee, according to an Anaheim staff report.

Newport Beach has the lowest fee and La Habra the highest.

Seal Beach charges $750 for the first year and $500 for each year after.

Westminster has a $200 fee.