LOCAL LAWS ’91 : From...

Los Angeles

Arts fee--Requires developers of non-residential projects valued at more than $500,000 to spend as much as 1% of the construction cost on “public art” such as sculptures and murals. The money also could be placed in trust for arts programs in the community served by the construction project. Approved in May.

Crime prevention--A pilot community-based policing program at four Los Angeles police stations will focus on accountability by station captains. Officers are to be assigned to small neighborhoods for at least two years. Community-based policing councils are to be established to help police identify crime problems and solutions. Approved in December.

Sewers--Raises residential sewer rates about 9%, or $1.13 per month, and boosts commercial rates by 5.9%, or about $1.70 per month. Approved in October.

Soliciting--Loosens restrictions on nonprofit organizations and individuals selling goods on public property for religious, philosophical, political or ideological purposes. Artists and performers will merely accept donations. Approved in August.

Taxicabs--A flat fee of $3.50 for all taxicab trips within a restricted area of downtown was instituted in December on a 180-day trial basis. Approved in October.

Vendors--Limits ice cream and catering trucks to 30 minutes of parking in residential areas and 60 minutes in commercial zones. It exempts movie-industry catering trucks, increases fines for drivers operating in the city without county health and safety permits, and requires backing-up alarms on trucks. Approved in September.

Water--Requires residents to cut water use by 15% from 1986 levels. The penalty for the first violation is $3 per billing unit of excess use, plus 15% of the total water bill; the second violation is $3 per excess billing unit plus 25% of the bill, and the third violation is $4 per excess billing unit plus 75% of the bill. After four or more violations, the Department of Water and Power may install a flow restrictor on the water main or suspend service for 48 hours. Approved in February.

Los Angeles County

AIDS--A new policy sets aside up to $100,000 to help in the distribution of AIDS prevention kits by seven nonprofit organizations that now provide street counseling to some of the county’s estimated 125,000 drug users. Each kit contains a bottle of bleach for sterilizing needles, one or more condoms and an information flyer about AIDS. Approved in March.

Fire tax--Fall property tax bills were assessed $13.99 for single-family homes in 48 cities and unincorporated areas for fire protection. Apartment owners were charged up to $561 and commercial building owners up to $1,176. Approved in July.

Massage parlors--Prohibits a massage within a locked room, devices used to record or videotape, and technicians from performing massages at any location other than that on the license. Also requires technicians to be clothed and to wear identification issued by the treasurer and tax collector and requires patrons to wear clothing covering their private parts. Approved in May.

Motorized skis--Outlaws the use of jet skis within 300 yards of any Los Angeles County beach and requires riders to launch from boat ramps. Also prohibits fishing within 100 feet of swimmers or surfers and restricts the volume on radios at county beaches to the limit required in residential neighborhoods. Approved in September.

Taxes--Levies a 5% tax on electricity, telephone and gas utilities, a 2% tax on amusement park admission fees and a 10% tax on user fees at waste disposal facilities, estimated to raise $18.3 million for county mental health programs. Approved in January.

Toilets--Requires all newly installed toilets in new buildings to be water-saving “ultra-low flush.” Approved in July.

Trash--Imposes a $3.51 fee on property owners to pay for the collection and disposal of household hazardous waste, program demonstrations, development of curbside collection of recyclables and limited public education programs. Approved in September.

Vendors--Amends the violation for vending on a public highway from an infraction to a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment in the county jail up to six months, or both. Approved in December.

Water--Requires 20% cutbacks in water use by the county’s 16 water districts, which serve about 250,000 people in parts of Topanga Canyon, Marina del Rey and the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys. First-time violators are fined, per 100 cubic feet of water, $3; for the second offense, $4, and $12 for subsequent violations. Approved in May.

Welfare--Increases by $29 the general relief payments for the destitute from $312 to $341 a month. Approved in June.

Agoura Hills

Smoking--Requires a restaurant with a seating capacity of less than 50 to post a sign disclosing whether it is a smoking or nonsmoking establishment. Approved in December.

Alhambra

Permits--Imposes a deadline on owners of unreinforced brick buildings to apply for permits to make the structures earthquake-proof. The law applies to commercial buildings, apartments and condominiums. Approved in December, 1989.

Bellflower

Smoking--Enacts the strictest no-smoking ordinance in Southern California, prohibiting smoking in all restaurants and in most buildings to which the public has access. Bars, tobacco stores, private offices, residences and places of worship are exempted. Approved in January.

Beverly Hills

Trees--Temporarily bans residents from removing or destroying trees with a diameter of 30 inches or more on their property without permission. It remains in effect until a more detailed ordinance can be prepared next September. Approved in November.

Diamond Bar

Projectiles--Requires written permission by a property owner before anyone can shoot bows and arrows, slingshots and “similar projectiles” within 150 yards of a residence, highway or trail. In the past, only oral permission was needed for would-be Robin Hoods. Approved in October.

Downey

Golf--Bans golf and other sports activities in the city cemetery. The council acted after a complaint that a boy was hitting golf balls in the Downey Cemetery. Approved in November.

Duarte

Drunk drivers--Imposes arrest and booking costs on convicted drunk drivers. Volunteers will determine the bill by computing the time that is spent on each arrest. Approved in March.

El Monte

Nudity--Outlaws exposing one’s bottom. The measure was prompted by a “mooning” incident during a protest. Approved in November.

Glendale

Picketing--Outlaws picketing in front of a residence in which the occupant is the target of the protest. Approved in June.

Noise--Places controls on a broad range of sound sources based on the type of neighborhood. Shouting or banging on a car under repair, for instance, may be unacceptable in a quiet canyon area but allowed in a manufacturing zone. Approved in November.

Inglewood

Trashing--Prohibits the interruption of sporting or entertainment events, stemming from an incident two years ago when a fan halted a hockey game at The Forum by throwing a live chicken onto the ice. Approved in November.

La Canada Flintridge

Skaters--Prohibits wheeled play equipment, which includes skateboards and so-called roller blades but not roller skates, on Angeles Crest Highway between the Foothill Freeway and Foothill Boulevard. Approved in July.

Lakewood

Smoking--Requires restaurants to designate at least 50% of their seating areas for nonsmokers. Approved in May.

La Verne

Cat licenses--Requires cat owners to obtain licenses for their pets. Although most cities require dog licenses, La Verne became the second city in the state with a cat licensing law. Approved in May.

Long Beach

Smoking--Bans smoking in city buildings and requires restaurants to set aside two-thirds of their seating area for nonsmokers. The measure also restricts smoking at work to enclosed spaces with separate ventilation systems or to smoking sections of company cafeterias and lunch rooms. Approved in August.

Malibu

Streets--Requires the county to maintain control over Kanan Dume Road, a particularly steep and dangerous stretch of road that angles down to Pacific Coast Highway. The road has been the site of runaway trucks and numerous accidents. Leaders of the new city also kept Rambla Pacifico Drive, part of which remains buried beneath a landslide, under county control. Approved in March.

Rancho Palos Verdes

No flying--Prohibits pilots from taking off or landing aircraft in city parks, including airplanes, hang gliders and paragliders. Approved in July.

San Fernando

Gangs--Bans gang members from Las Palmas Park, with violators subject to a $250 fine. It is believed to be the first city in the nation to take such action. Approved in September.

Santa Monica

Restrooms--Prohibits a person from entering a restroom designated for the opposite sex at a public beach or city park unless there are three or more people in line. Approved in November.

Homeless--Bans encampments in public places and expedites development of an interim shelter. Approved in December.

Temple City

Fire safety--Requires automatic sprinklers in all attached condominiums and apartments and attached garages. Approved in November.

Walnut

Animals--Designates rabbits, dogs and cats as permissible pets, with a limit of three. Approved in December.

Fireworks--Bans the sale and use of fireworks. Approved in November.

West Hollywood

Parks--Homeless people who are caught sleeping in the city’s three parks may face jail time for this misdemeanor offense. Approved in November.

Rent control--Requires landlords to disclose vital information in writing to prospective tenants before they sign a rental agreement, and to disclose the “maximum allowable rent” for a unit and the date on which it may be subject to an annual increase. Approved in November.