Camarillo Sued Over News Rack Laws
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Camarillo is being sued by two distributors of sexually oriented newspapers who claim that city laws governing sidewalk news racks violate their free-speech rights.
Gary Haugh and Fedrico Franco filed suit last week in U.S. District Court. They object to a city ban on news racks that distribute two different newspapers and on those that are more than 48 inches high. The news racks used by Haugh and Franco violate both those provisions.
The city adopted the new requirements in May after local citizens’ groups protested the sale of sexually oriented material in the city.
However, Acting City Manager Larry Davis said Camarillo’s news-rack regulations, first adopted in 1978, are designed to give pedestrians more sidewalk space and have never prohibited the sale of sexually oriented newspapers. The lawsuit also asks the court to overturn city requirements that newspaper distributors obtain a $10 permit for each news-rack location and buy an annual business license.
The newspapers distributed by Haugh and Franco include the Hollywood Press, L.A. Star, Impulse and Sun, the suit said.
Camarillo City Atty. Colin Lennard was not available for comment on the lawsuit.
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