Beverly Hills Cracks Down On Mass Gatherings

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The Beverly Hills City Council adopted an amended ordinance Tuesday night that updated permit requirements for parades and large assemblies.

On Oct. 27, the Council unanimously approved an urgency ordinance that went into effect Nov. 4, the day after the election. On Tuesday, the Council waived the full reading and adopted a permanent ordinance that amends the Beverly Hills Municipal Code to place limitations on areas where large protests can occur, require permits, and prohibit nighttime demonstrations, among other changes.

“While we recognize the importance of public gatherings that allow the community to peacefully exercise their freedom of speech and right to assemble, it’s imperative that we provide a safe and healthy environment in which they can do so by creating these guidelines,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman.

A staff report estimates that the city has spent approximately $1.3 million in overtime costs since May 30, when protests erupted downtown over the death of George Floyd, and approved $4.8 million for extra security around the election. Since then, Beverly Hills has become a central protest location in the Los Angeles area, and has hosted regular political rallies resulting in occasional violence and arrests. (See below for coverage of the city's man protests and demonstrations.)

The new ordinance requires restarts enforcements of existing requirements for permits for "parades" or "assemblies." A "parade" is defined as any "march, demonstration, procession, motorcade, or promenade...having a common purpose, design, destination, or goal" that does "not comply with normal and usual traffic regulations or control."

The ordinance defines an "assembly" as a "meeting, demonstration, picket line, rally or gathering" numbering more than 25 or more people on a city park path, and 75 or more people on any public area that inhibits the usual flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic.

Gatherings of more than 500 people are now banned, and will be declared an unlawful assembly, as was the case during rallies last Saturday after Biden's declared victory. Nevertheless, election-related violence has not ravaged the city as some feared.

Permits can be obtained through the City Manager's office, and are required to be submitted anywhere from six to two days before the event, depending on the location of the assembly. If less than 500 people gather in four specified areas of the city - La Cienega Park, Beverly Gardens Park between Crescent and Rodeo Drive, the Civic Center Boat Court, and the west side of City Hall adjacent to Crescent Drive - a permit is not necessary.

Permits can be denied if an event scheduled in the roadway portion of a street in commercial zones during certain hours, if the timing conflicts with another permitted event, or if it requires significant road closures.

The ordinance also prohibits demonstrations in residential areas during specified nighttime hours, unless the gathering does not cause significant noise. The hours were originally scheduled from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., but a new curfew was set at either 7 p.m. or a half-hour after sunset, depending on which is sooner. These changes were requested Oct. 27 by Councilmembers Julian Gold, Lili Bosse, and John Mirisch, who worried that that 9 p.m. was too late at night.

The ordinance also prohibits targeted demonstrations, defined as demonstrations that focus on a single dwelling and proceed in front of that dwelling for more than 15 minutes. In August, protesters gathered outside Mayor Lester Friedman's home, and in October, right before Amazon Prime Day, protesters gathered in front of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's Beverly Hills home to demand better labor protections.

The ordinance also prohibits certain risky objects, like weapons, combustible materials, and electrical generators not authorized by permit. A revised version of the ordinance applied these prohibitions to all protests, demonstrations, picketing, or rallies on public property.

Related coverage:

• Police Monitor Pro-Trump Rally In Beverly Hills
• Beverly Hills Trump Rally Erupts Into Violence
• SWAT Teams And Boarded Up Windows: Beverly Hills Prepares
• Trump Supporters Clash With BLM Protesters In Beverly Hills
• Beverly Hills Criticized For Detaining Protesters
• 75 Protesters Block Intersection In Beverly Hills