CITY DROPS $25 FEE ON WORKING AT HOME.Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer The Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. voted Friday to drop a requirement
that home-based businesses obtain a special permit and pay a $25 annual
permit fee, after the law drew widespread objections from writers,
artists, musicians and others who work at home.
The council directed the City Attorney's Office to rewrite re·write v. re·wrote , re·writ·ten , re·writ·ing, re·writes v.tr. 1. To write again, especially in a different or improved form; revise. 2. the Home Occupation Ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been approved a year ago so that the permit requirement is repealed but other conditions - limiting client visits, parking, advertising and use of heavy machinery - remain. ``These small, quiet businesses will still be required to meet the conditions and standards of the Home Occupation Ordinance, which include having no more than one client visit per hour,'' said Councilwoman Laura Chick, ``but they can do it without shuffling more paper or paying more money.'' The council action was praised by Dan Petrie Jr., president of the Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is a term often referring to the joint efforts of the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, west. Jointly, the two guilds act as the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and , which had sued the city claiming the permit requirement violated vi·o·late tr.v. vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing, vi·o·lates 1. To break or disregard (a law or promise, for example). 2. To assault (a person) sexually. 3. their free speech rights. ``By eliminating the registration and permit requirements of this ordinance, the city has gone a long way toward addressing the First Amendment concerns we have raised,'' Petrie said. However, he said the guild still objects to the city's requirement that writers and other artists have to pay a business tax for work done in their homes. Petrie said as long as the business tax is applied to writers, ``it leaves our members vulnerable to unconstitutional unconstitutional adj. referring to a statute, governmental conduct, court decision or private contract (such as a covenant which purports to limit transfer of real property only to Caucasians) which violate one or more provisions of the U. S. Constitution. intrusion into the creative process.'' Chick and Councilman Mike Feuer said they are already pushing for creation of a new tax law that would exempt some people with limited income from having to pay any business tax. Some homeowner groups have voiced concern that eliminating the fee would take away money needed for inspectors to enforce the law. |
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