Compton Municipal Code § 7-15 Parades and Motorcades

[1]

Editor's Note: Subsections 7-15.2 through 7-15.5, added by Ordinance 1577 and previously contained herein, have been repealed in their entirety by Ordinance 1852.

[Added by Ord. #1577, § 4707.1; amended by Ord. #1852, § 1]

a. Definitions:

MOTORCADE

Shall mean an organized procession containing 25 or more vehicles, except funeral processions, upon any public street, sidewalk or alley.

PARADE

Shall mean any march or procession consisting of people, animals or vehicles, or combination thereof, except funeral processions, upon any public street, sidewalk or alley, which does not comply with normal and usual traffic regulations or controls.

b. Permits. It shall be unlawful for any person to conduct a parade or motorcade in or upon any public street, sidewalk, or alley in the City or knowingly participate in any such parade or motorcade unless and until a permit to conduct such parade or motorcade has been obtained from the Chief of Police, or, as hereinafter provided, from the City Council.

c. Parade or Motorcade for Commercial Purpose Prohibited. No permit shall be issued authorizing the conduct of a parade or motorcade which the City Council finds is proposed to be held for the sole purpose of advertising any product, goods, wares, merchandise, or event, and is designed to be held purely for private profit.

d. Interference with Parade or Motorcade. No person shall knowingly join or participate in any parade or motorcade conducted under permit from the City Council in violation of any of the terms of said permit, nor knowingly join or participate in any permitted parade or motorcade without the consent and over the objection of the permittee, nor in any manner interfere with its progress or orderly conduct.

e. Application for Permit. Any person who wants to conduct a parade or motorcade shall apply to the City Council for a permit at least 30 days in advance of the date of the proposed parade or motorcade. The City Council may in its discretion consider any application for a permit to conduct a parade or motorcade which is filed less than 30 days prior to the date such parade or motorcade is to be conducted. The application for such permit shall be made in writing on a form approved by the City Council. In order that adequate arrangements may be made for the proper policing of the parade or motorcade, the application shall contain the following information:

1. The name of the applicant, the sponsoring organization, the parade or motorcade chairman and the addresses and telephone numbers of each.

2. The purpose of the parade or motorcade, the date when it is proposed to be conducted, the location of the assembly area, the location of the disbanding area, route to be traveled and the approximate time when the parade or motorcade will assemble, start and terminate.

3. A description of the individual floats, marching units, vehicles, bands, including a description of any sound amplification equipment to be used.

4. Such other information as the City Council may deem reasonably necessary.

f. Issuance or Denial of Permit.

1. Standards for issuance. The City Council shall issue a parade or motorcade permit conditioned upon the applicant's written agreement to comply with the terms of such permit unless the City Council finds that:

(a) The time, route and size of the parade or motorcade will disrupt to an unreasonable extent the movement of other traffic.

(b) The parade or motorcade is of a size or nature that requires the diversion of so great a number of police officers of the City to properly police the line of movement and the area contiguous thereto that allowing the parade or motorcade would deny reasonable police protection to the City.

(c) Such parade or motorcade will interfere with another parade or motorcade for which a permit has been issued.

2. Standards for denial. The City Council shall deny an application for a parade or motorcade permit and notify the applicant of such denial where:

(a) The City Council makes any finding contrary to the findings required to be made for the issuance of a permit.

(b) The information contained in the application is found to be false or non-existent in any material detail.

(c) The applicant refuses to agree to abide by or comply with all conditions of the permit.

g. Contents of Permits. In each permit the City Council shall specify:

1. The assembly area and time therefor;

2. The starting time;

3. The minimum and maximum speeds;

4. The route of the parade or motorcade;

5. What portions of streets to be traversed may be occupied by such parade or motorcade;

6. The maximum number of platoons or units and the maximum and minimum intervals of space to be maintained between the units of such parade or motorcade;

7. The maximum length of such parade or motorcade in miles or fractions thereof;

8. The disbanding area, and disbanding time;

9. The number of persons required to monitor the parade or motorcade;

10. The number and type of vehicles, if any;

11. The material and maximum size of any sign, banner, placard or carrying device therefor;

12. The materials used in the construction of floats used in any parade shall be of fire-retardant materials and shall be subject to such requirements concerning fire safety as may be determined by the Fire Chief;

13. That Permittee advise all participants in the parade or motorcade either orally or by written notice, of the terms and conditions of the permit, prior to the commencement of such parade or motorcade;

14. That the amplification of sound permitted to be emitted from sound trucks, or bull horns, be fixed and not variable;

15. That the parade or motorcade continue to move at a fixed rate of speed and that any willful delay or willful stopping of said parade or motorcade, except when reasonably required for the safe and orderly conduct of the parade or motorcade, shall constitute a violation of the permit, and;

16. Such other requirements as are found by the City Council to be reasonably necessary for the protection of persons or property.

All conditions of the permit shall be complied with so far as reasonably practicable.

h. Officials to be Notified. Immediately upon the granting of a permit for a parade or motorcade, the City Council shall send a copy thereof to the following:

1. The Mayor.

2. The City Attorney.

3. The City Manager.

4. The Police Chief.

5. The Fire Chief.

6. The Director of General Services.

7. The Public Works Director.

i. Revocation of Permit. Any permit for a parade or motorcade issued pursuant to this Chapter may be summarily revoked by the City Council, City Manager or Chief of Police at any time when by reason of disaster, public calamity, riot or other emergency, the City Council, the City Manager, or the Chief of Police determines that the safety of the public or property requires such revocation. Notice of such action revoking a permit shall be delivered in writing to the permittee by personal service or by certified mail.