CALABASAS : Council Set to Vote on Solicitation Law

The Calabasas City Council is scheduled to vote tonight on a request by a homeowners group for the adoption of a city ordinance that would require certain door-to-door solicitors to get permits.

The Calabasas Park Homeowners Assn., an umbrella organization representing numerous homeowners groups, suggests that the city use as a model an ordinance in place in the city of Beverly Hills, said Sherri Rosenthal, the organization’s general manager.

That ordinance requires anyone soliciting for charitable or religious causes to apply to the city for a permit. A special commission has been set up to review the applications, which must include financial statements from the organizations.

“It would eliminate some of the people that really don’t have any reason to be bothering people,” Rosenthal said. “We are not trying to prevent people from selling their Girl Scout cookies.”

She said her organization has received complaints from homeowners about solicitors knocking on people’s doors and pestering them. Some of the callers come at night, she said, which frightens many residents.

Rosenthal said the homeowners group would like to see Calabasas expand the Beverly Hills model to include people such as construction contractors working in the neighborhood, who sometimes solicit residents for business.

City Manager Charles Cate said the council may decide to study the matter to make sure any legal issues have been addressed.