ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : An Idea Begging for Improvement

Panhandlers in Anaheim are looking for handouts from passersby. A city councilman wants to require that they get business licenses. Cost: an estimated $100 apiece. What’s wrong with this picture?

If a panhandler had $100, why would he beg? Surely not because he likes to. That’s one reason this is not a good idea. And there are others.

Councilman Frank Feldhaus is arguing that many of the city’s estimated 100 panhandlers operate daily in the same spot; therefore, they’re small businesses; therefore they should be licensed. A leader of a local group called Somebody, which backs the proposal, contends that panhandlers forced to wear their licenses can be reported to the city if they get too aggressive.

But if panhandlers get out of hand now, there are grounds for summoning police. But how will authorities find the manpower to enforce a requirement that beggars have business licenses? This proposal would only create new bureaucracy and another ordinance to be ignored.

Moreover, federal courts have ruled that begging is protected by the First Amendment. That does not mean that a panhandler can block a sidewalk, or jostle someone, but it does mean that the act cannot be outlawed. It appears unlikely that the courts would uphold a license law.

Somebody is the group that dumped 1,750 pounds of steer manure in a park earlier this year to stink out drug dealers who gathered there. The group certainly has a way of getting attention, and some of its ideas have been good. Unfortunately, the one on panhandling is not.

It is easy to sympathize with the group members. No one wants drug dealers to overrun a park. No one likes to see a beggar pleading for money. But there are better solutions. When it comes to drug dealers, the better answer is residents helping police, through activities such as Neighborhood Watch groups. In fact, that’s why Somebody was set up. When the issue is panhandling, a better way is to create jobs and provide affordable housing. Community groups that assist the homeless need help too. A simplistic proposal like licensing is no magic bullet.

The councilman claims to know some panhandlers who collect $100 a day. The ones who spoke to a reporter put the figure close to $10 a day. Fortunately, the proposal to force panhandlers to get business licenses has not been put forth by the City Council to date. The suggestion should be scrapped, in favor of enforcing existing laws and trying to help the homeless and impoverished.