STATE OF MIND

Whether gazing at the stars, palms or crystal balls, Southern California’s working psychics are seeing one thing these days--red. On Nov. 5, the Burbank City Council passed a law requiring fortune tellers to be licensed. A similar law is being considered by the Los Angeles City Council.

“The irony is that this is happening in California--the heart of the New Age,” says Amy Horsting, a North Hollywood channeler who has become an unofficial spokesperson for local psychics appalled at the high fees and vague wording of the legislation.

In both cities, psychics who operate out of their homes would be required to conjure up as much as $450 for a license. The proceeds would pay for background checks, says Sgt. Dennis Adams of the LAPD Bunco Division. Incidents of fraud, he explains, are on the rise and have resulted in millions of dollars in losses, often forked over by clients eager to remove what they believe are powerful curses on their lives.

Some psychics are complaining that the proposals, which don’t affect bookstores that engage in the psychic arts or 900 phone lines, favor the big concerns over more mom-and-pop operations. But Southern California psychics should thank their lucky stars; in several other states, psychics are banned outright.