[PICTURED: Federal Judge orders L.A. City to let Dowd/Dogg out of their cages. Now, FREE to entertain the masses @ Venice Beach.] Gadflies vs. LA: Dowd and Zuma Dogg Beat the City in Federal Court
You can laugh all you want at Matt Dowd and Zuma Dogg.
You can look down your nose at them. You can let them get under your skin and be annoyed by them.
But for the second time in recent years -- with Dowd as their lawyer -- they outsmarted all the lawyers and politicians in City Hall and won a federal court case against the City of Los Angeles.
On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Dean Pregerson ruled that two key elements of the city's oft-rewritten ordinance intended to crack down on the vendors and street performers at Venice Beach is unconstitutional on their face (Venice Beach.rtf).
A couple of years ago, Dowd won a $500,000 judgment against the city on behalf of himself and Michael Hunt over similar issues involving the city's efforts to control the antics that make Venice Beach what it is.
It was this case that prompted Zuma Dogg and Dowd to become regulars in Public Comment at City Council meetings. The city keeps stalling on the humiliating act of paying them the money by appealing the case although a more recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in a Seattle case has weakened the city's claims.
VIDEO: TRIUMPHANT PUBLIC COMMENT BY PLAINTIFFS WHO DEFEATED L.A. CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN FEDERAL COURT. (10/22 comment on 10/21 COURT ORDER!) "IT IS SO ORDERED!"
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6:00PM UPDATE: Here's video of The Return of Zuma Dogg to Venice Beach to announce with AMPLIFIED SOUND, no permit -- and no assigned lottery space, that the ban has been lifted. THE LOTTERY FROM TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT -- AND THERE WILL BE NO FUTURE LOTTERIES! LAPD Sgt Reina CONFIRMS that L.A. City Attorney has instructed the force, to NOT ENFORCE any lottery space issues. (Thanks to Sgt Reina for confirming for ZD.) And with that...here's the test run!
IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS, YESTERDAY: ZD has meltdown reflecting back on past four and a half years and how my life TANKED...ONLY TO NOW FIND IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!! (DAMAGES Y'ALL...Aka: The, "Cheap Expired, YESTERDAY!" rant. ZD's NEW ALL-TIME, ULTIMATE RANT!)
6:00PM UPDATE: Here's video of The Return of Zuma Dogg to Venice Beach to announce with AMPLIFIED SOUND, no permit -- and no assigned lottery space, that the ban has been lifted. THE LOTTERY FROM TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT -- AND THERE WILL BE NO FUTURE LOTTERIES! LAPD Sgt Reina CONFIRMS that L.A. City Attorney has instructed the force, to NOT ENFORCE any lottery space issues. (Thanks to Sgt Reina for confirming for ZD.) And with that...here's the test run!
IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS, YESTERDAY: ZD has meltdown reflecting back on past four and a half years and how my life TANKED...ONLY TO NOW FIND IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN!!! (DAMAGES Y'ALL...Aka: The, "Cheap Expired, YESTERDAY!" rant. ZD's NEW ALL-TIME, ULTIMATE RANT!)
