On The Road: Busking Santa Monica

As many of you know, I am in Los Angeles busking for the summer (escapades can be seen here). I decided that since the busking laws here are a bit strange at best, that I would take some time to go through the pertinent parts with you. You may find the law, in it's entirety, here.

The first part of the law is it's purpose and the first law reads:


The City Council finds that the existence in the City of street performers provides a public amenity that enhances the character of the City...

Now, I don't know about y'all, but that gives me the warm fuzzies. In law it states that they like us. A step in the right direction.

The first real section you need to look at is 6.112.030 Rules and Regulations. In this part it states that you may NOT perform 

• Within ten (10) feet of any bus stop
• Within ten (10) feet of any street corner  or marked crosswalk
• Within ten (10) feet of any entrance to a business (including outdoor dining areas)
• Without a permit (Pier, Promenade, Tranist Mall) after 12:00pm (if it's not a holiday)
• Oh, and don't block the flow of traffic

Those are the simplified and self-explanatory rules. Here are some slightly more complicated or strange things:

• You many not construct a platform unless it has beveled edges [I know...what the hell]
• No knives, swords, torch, flame, axe, saw, or other object that can cause serious bodily harm
• No tumbling
• No blocking curb-cuts [I assume those are the wheelchair ramps onto the sidewalks...]

Now we get into the really fun bit...Holidays:

• If the holiday follows a weekend and the next day is a workday, then the holiday shall be treated as if it were Sunday and the day preceding the holiday shall be treated as if it were Saturday. 
• If the holiday precedes a weekend, then the holiday shall be treated as if it were Saturday and the preceding day shall be treated as if it were Friday.
• If the holiday occurs during midweek, and is surrounded by workdays, then the holiday shall be treated as if it were Sunday and the day preceding the holiday shall be treated as if it were Friday.
• The following is a list of holidays which trigger the application of this subsection: New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Columbus Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. The City Council may by resolution add to this list of holidays.

Now that that madness is past, time for some more random goodness...Times you may perform.

No performer shall perform except during the following time periods:

• 9 am to 11 pm daily
• 11 pm to 1:30 am on Friday and Saturday

Now the real question becomes what do they mean by that. The law states that everyday you may perform from 9-11, but the more specific law states you may only perform 11-1:30 Friday and Saturday.

I spoke with a person at the permit office and they said, as I suspected, it should be interpreted as extending the performing hours on Friday and Saturday.

Now for the really fun stuff. To be space conservative I have merged laws for different locations, evident by the place (place) denotation. So, for you slow people, if there is a place and then a place in parentheses, you may substitute everything in parentheses for the law regarding that location.

No performer shall [ever!]:

• perform on the promenade (transit mall) in any specific location or within one hundred and twenty (120) feet of that loaction as measured in a north/south (east/west) direction for more than 2 hours in a six hour period. 
• perform on the promenade (transit mall) on an even hour at the same location that he/she was performing on the preceding hour or w/in 120 feet measured North/South (east/west).

Now in my twisted little mind, this tells me that if I were to perform and then move five steps East (for the promenade) to the letter of the law I am correct. I don't believe I will try it out though. To best the above law, perform at the far side of the street (N/S) then the middle, then the other far side. Then move to your original spot and repeat.

For the even hour rule, simply start performing on an even hour, b/c even if you get there and set up at 1:50, you WILL be moving at 2:00.

***The pier has similar rules except the hours are from 8am and you may perform extended hours on Sunday as well. Extended hours go to 1am***

The Pier does away with the even hour rule and instead says you have to move at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm to a different spot 150 feet away. Their time limitation is 3 hours at one location in every 6 hours.

Also for the pier, you will not perform at a distance of more than 10 feet from the railing (north railing in the Center Performance Area, either railing in the Breezeway performance area.

You may also not perform further than 7.5 feet from a star painted on the ground. It's to maintain the minimum "stay away from other performers" rule (which I didn't go into...you should know how far to be away from another person for your show to work)

Penalties for disregarding these rules are as follows:

•  a fine of not less than one hundred dollars, but not exceeding two hundred fifty dollars per violation.
• Any person violating Sections 6.112.030(c), 6.112.030(f), 6.112.030(g), 6.112.030(l), 6.112.030(q), 6.112.050(a), 6.112.050(c)(5), 6.112.060(a), 6.112.060(c)(5), or 6.112.060(d) shall be guilty of an infraction which shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding two hundred fifty dollars, or a misdemeanor, which shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars per violation, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment

• 
  
   Any person performing without a performance permit as required by Section 6.112.030(b) shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, which shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars per violation, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. 

So... have fun with the insanity that is Santa Monica. Permits are less than $40 (can't remember exactly...$37 maybe?)