The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Council targets panhandlers

Law prohibits aggressive solicitation and standing on median strips, roads

By Katherine Petersen

The Sunnyvale City Council unanimously approved an ordinance against aggressive panhandling May 27, making it a misdemeannor to solicit on public property from drivers. People who are arrested for misdemeanors can be fined up to $1,000 or spend up to 60 days in jail. The ordinance takes effect June 27.

While Sunnyvale doesn't have a serious panhandling problem, the ordinance gives public safety officers a chance to prevent one from developing, Councilmember Pat Vorreiter said.

The ordinance targets people who stand on median strips and solicit drivers. People found panhandling on freeway on- and offramps, on sidewalks or in public parking areas will be cited, Public Safety Capt. Steve Pigott said. Selling newspapers or asking for food or money impedes traffic flow, he said.

People who solicit from their cars on streets and on-ramps or in public parking areas will also be cited.

The ordinance does not prevent particular types of solicitation, it just restricts the location.

One problem with the ordinance is that it doesn't address people who ask for money from customers entering or leaving a business, unless the behavior is aggressive, said Suzi Blackman, executive director of Sunnyvale's Chamber of Commerce.

Blackman is also concerned that the ordinance requires each business to have an individual panhandling policy before merchants can complain to the police.

"Businesses want customers to be able to come in and leave without interference. This policy doesn't address that issue at all," Blackman said. "I know we have to be careful, and this may be as close as we can get."

Using offensive language or physical contact would be considered aggressive behavior, Pigott said.

After dark, panhandling will not be allowed within 10 feet of automated teller machines or bus stops, according to the ordinance.

"That's the time when people are most afraid," Pigott said.

The ordinance does not prohibit someone asking for money on the street or prevent Girl Scouts from selling cookies in front of a business from which they have permission.

"I think it will stop people from coming up to cars with aggressive panhandling techniques," Vice Mayor Jim Roberts said. "I've heard some complaints. Before this ordinance, there wasn't anything the police could do."

The cities of Santa Clara and Mountain View recently passed panhandling ordinances, and Vorreiter said there is concern that people who previously panhandled in those cities might now come to Sunnyvale.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, June 4, 1997.
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