Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich
Attacking the paparazzi problem
The Los Angeles Regional Task force conducted its second meeting on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Malibu Performing Arts Center. The task force includes representatives from the cities of Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Los Angeles, Malibu and West Hollywood, and both Sheriff Lee Baca and LAPD Chief Bratton. In addition, legal experts from Pepperdine University School of Law, the Screen Actors Guild and the Los Angeles City District Attorney’s Office participated.
Beverly Hills reported that their city had worked with businesses to stop aggressive paparazzi around “hot zones” by giving them a phone number to call at the Beverly Hills Police Station for quick response times. West Hollywood reported that four paparazzi were apprehended for trespassing into a high-profile citizen’s backyard and that one of the four had an outstanding arrest warrant. Los Angeles reported that they were working on issues surrounding security at Los Angeles Airport.
The task force first heard testimony from First Amendment scholar and Pepperdine School of Law Professor Barry McDonald about the nuances of free speech and the First Amendment. The task force then heard from many members of the general public. A local reporter testified that no new laws were needed. In addition, a representative from Los Angeles Airport testified that the paparazzi were not a problem at LAX. A past PTA president read testimony written by a local elementary school principal. In addition, a physical education teacher and a parent testified. The principal, teacher and parent all testified that they had witnessed aggressive paparazzi outside of a local elementary school. According to the principal, “The presence of paparazzi causes unnecessary anxiety in our students and creates an unsafe situation.” Another woman testified that she had nearly been hit by paparazzi engaged in car chases on PCH, our main street. One paparazzo testified that the task force should consider going after the “employers” of paparazzi. Another citizen asked whether the Malibu code regarding film permits could be enforced against paparazzi. Professor McDonald volunteered to research the issue and found that it appears difficult to apply the Malibu film ordinance to require paparazzi to obtain permits.
Upon careful consideration of all research, the initial recommendations are:
Enforce current laws to the fullest extent possible: Please call the Sheriff to report unsafe conduct. Dial 911 if life threatening, or 310.456.6652 for non-emergencies. The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff Station is located at 27050 Agoura Rd., Calabasas, CA 91303.
Where shortfalls in the law exist, the task force, community leaders and paparazzi must further consider: Whether it is appropriate to establish safety zones around schools when children are arriving, departing and playing outside in playgrounds adjacent to public sidewalks; whether the licensing provisions should be adopted to include commercial photographers, and/or whether taxes would be appropriate.
Educate and empower the public about their rights and freedoms vis-Ã -vis aggressive photographers: A “Citizens Guide to Aggressive Paparazzi” highlights criminal and civil actions afforded to people who have been the victims of a paparazzi attack/swarms; consider creating and using universal symbol (e.g. love symbol), which could communicate when targets are being harassed and/or verbally abused by photographers; consider creating a Web site or other communication tool that would publish paparazzi behaving badly (e.g., see recommendations by Peter Scheer in article “To Force Paparazzi to Clean Up Their Act Turn the Cameras on Them,” published on HuffingtonPost.com).
I would like to thank everyone who participated in the task force and took the time to research the issues and testify before the task force.
I remain optimistic that by working together we can make Malibu a safe place to live and raise our families. Additional comments and/or suggestions can be mailed directly to me at pcu@ci.malibu.ca.us.