La Verne Municipal Code Art. II Charitable Solicitations

No person, without first having applied for and receiving a permit from the city clerk, as provided in this article, shall make any appeal to the public for a charity or charitable or religious purpose, either by soliciting or collecting gifts, contributions, donations or subscriptions. Where such appeal, solicitation, collection of gifts or proffer of subscription is made by solicitors who are remunerated or otherwise receive pecuniary compensation for making such appeal, solicitation, collection of gifts or proffer of subscription shall pay the fees provided for in Section 5.16.080; otherwise such fee shall not be charged.

(Prior code § 6504)

Any person desiring to do any of the acts mentioned in this article shall file an application with the city clerk. The application shall set forth so much of the following information as the city clerk may require:

A. Name and address of the applicant, whether the applicant is affiliated with or working for any other organization than the one for which this solicitation is intended;

B. Location of national, state and local headquarters, if any;

C. The names and addresses of all persons directly interested in, or who in any manner will be engaged in the work;

D. The exact purpose for which the proceeds of the solicitation, sale, bazaar, exhibition, promotion, amusement, show, lecture, entertainment or other enterprise, or any part thereof, are to be used, including the manner in which and the amount of any compensation intended to be paid to any person, firm, association or corporation out of such proceeds;

E. The total amount which is sought to be raised;

F. The bank or place where all or any part of the funds raised by such activity will be placed on deposit or invested;

G. What records of funds received will be kept and where; where such records will be open to the public;

H. Whether the uniform or identification worn or carried resembles that of any other group in this area conducting a similar type of activity; and

I. Such other information in respect to the character and past and proposed activity of the applicant and the parties directly interested in or engaged in the work as may be necessary to enable the city clerk and/or the chief of police to make a full and complete investigation.

(Prior code § 6504.04)

The city clerk, upon receipt of an application complying with the requirements of this article and containing the information required thereby, shall have the chief of police conduct such investigation as he may deem necessary.

(Prior code § 6504.05)

A. Should the chief of police, after a complete investigation of the applicant and of the representations contained in the application, be of the opinion that the applicant has not stated true facts in his or her application, or that if a permit should be granted to the applicant, a fraud in all probability would be perpetrated upon the public, the city clerk may refuse to issue a permit to such applicant.

B. Should the chief of police be satisfied that the application is truthful, that the applicant is acting in good faith and that in all probability a fraud would not be perpetrated upon the public, a permit shall be issued to such applicant for such period of time as the applicant may request; provided, however, that no permit shall be valid for a period of more than one year from the date of issuance; and provided further, that as a condition to granting such permit the city clerk may require the applicant to file a bond in the sum of one thousand dollars in a form approved by the city attorney and conditioned that if the principal thereof shall fail to devote, pay or use the entire proceeds or the percentage thereof specified in the application, derived from the activity mentioned in the application to the person, firm, association or corporation for or on whose account or benefit such activity was conducted or carried on, then the surety will pay the same to such person, firm, association or corporation, to the amount of such bond.

(Prior code § 6504.06)

No permit shall be required for the solicitation by gifts, contributions, donations or subscriptions, or the promotion of any bazaar, sale or exhibition or other act of appeal to the public for a charity, made by the members of any religious or charitable organization which has been in existence in, and which regularly maintains headquarters or a place of workshop in the city; provided, that the city clerk has issued a permit authorizing the conducting or carrying on of such activity by such organization. Applications for such permit shall be made to the city clerk within sixty days from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this article, and shall be issued by him or her in accordance with the standards provided in this article. Such permits shall be valid until revoked by the city clerk.

(Prior code § 6504.01)

No person or organization of whom a permit is required for the purposes of solicitation in accordance with this article shall conduct such solicitation between the hours of eight p.m. to six a.m. any day of the week.

(Prior code § 6504.02)

No person without first having applied for and received a permit from the city clerk as provided in this article shall sell or solicit for or on behalf of any person, firm, association or corporation by going on any private property without first having obtained the permission of the owner or occupant, for the sale of any ticket, coupon, or right to admissions to any amusement, show, entertainment, lecture, club membership, or other enterprise not regularly carried on for private profit or gain by such person, firm, association or corporation at a fixed place of business in the city, or solicit any contribution or gift in connection with any such amusement, show, entertainment, lecture or other enterprise where such sale or solicitation is for other than a charitable purpose and is made to persons other than the bona fide members of the firm, association or corporation, causing such solicitation or sale, or for or on whose behalf such solicitation or sale is made, and where, in connection with any such amusement, show, entertainment, lecture or other enterprise it is represented, advertised, held out, implied, or made to appear that such sale, solicitation, contribution or gift or any part of the proceeds therefrom shall belong to, or be devoted or used for the benefit of any person, firm, association or corporation.

(Prior code § 6504.03)

Any permit issued may be revoked if the permittee is not operating in accordance with the application pursuant to which such permit was issued for if further activity of the permittee would operate to defraud the public. Such revocation may be made by a registered letter signed by the city clerk and directed to the address of the applicant as stated upon the application pursuant to which the permit was issued. The permit shall become null and void on and after the third day from the date after which the letter is deposited in the United States post office in the city.

(Prior code § 6504.07)