ANAHEIM : Council Again Seeks Panhandling Remedy

A week after the City Council rejected a proposal requiring beggars to buy city business licenses, members late Tuesday ordered the city attorney to research other ways to stop aggressive panhandlers.

City Atty. Jack L. White said one possibility might be to ban beggars from standing on the curb to solicit money from drivers, citing its dangers to both drivers and panhandlers. He will also look at an ordinance proposed last week in San Diego making beggars who “harass, hound or use coercion” guilty of a misdemeanor, as well as some anti-panhandling ordinances enacted throughout the country. He expects to complete his report within a few weeks.

Police say there are about 100 beggars who operate regularly in the city, and some residents have complained that some have become rude and belligerent in their solicitations. Some say the beggars make threatening gestures and postures that stop just short of robbery.

But White cautioned that because courts have ruled that begging is protected by the Constitution as a form of free speech, placing restrictions on the act could get the city sued if it is not careful.

“There are a lot of legal difficulties in drafting this type of ordinance,” White said.

The city attorney told the council last week that courts would likely strike down as unconstitutional any ordinance requiring beggars to obtain a business license.

Maggie Gonzalez, a retired nurse who originally proposed the licensing plan and collected 2,000 signatures supporting it, said Wednesday that no ordinance will work if it does not require beggars to wear identification.

Councilman Frank Feldhaus, who drew national media attention to the proposal last month when he suggested it to the council, was joined by Mayor Tom Daly and Councilman Irv Pickler in requesting a report.

Councilmen Fred Hunter and Bob D. Simpson both said they did not want the report made. Pickler and Daly had joined them last week in opposing the licensing plan.

Hunter, who angered Gonzalez and others last week when he said the city should be doing more to help the homeless, including beggars, vehemently argued against drafting the report.