
Looks like the sudden-increase in shutterbugs due to America’s obsession with celebrity culture has finally crossed a line in the eyes of California lawmakers, who plan to meet to discuss new ordinances to keep everyone safe and avoid a mass-exodus of entertainers from the LA area.
AP reports:
Officials from celeb enclaves in and around Los Angeles such as Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Malibu and Calabasas are convening Thursday for the first time to discuss ways to combat shutterbugs, whose tactics have grown more aggressive and confrontational in the past few years.
Their goal is for each city to adopt its own ordinances to punish aggressive paparazzi, while keeping the rules uniform in the places where celebrities live, work and play.
“This is a response to their lack of responsible behavior,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine, an outspoken paparazzi critic and organizer of the task force.
Zine proposed a “personal safety zone” around celebs earlier this year that police officials said would be virtually unenforceable. He’s also floated the idea of legitimizing the paparazzi - who are freelancers by definition - by giving them credentials, and in turn, clear rules.
This meeting comes after Halle Berry announced she was pursuing criminal charges against photogs who snuck into her backyard to get shots of her with her 4-month-old. Also, the bodyguards protecting Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s twins-from-heaven got in a tussle with some paps dressed in full on camouflage.
A fight broke out between X17 paps and surfers in June that could have lead to arrests, except neither group has submitted unedited footage to police that could result in punishment.
Some pap groups, like JFX Direct are in support of licensing photographers and issuing them guidelines, so if altercations occur and laws are broken, the cops can sort out the “professionals” from the hacks trying to score big on one shot.
The B&U always tries to obtain shots from legit organizations, because the last thing we need is Britney, Lindsay or Miley getting caught in a Princess Diana situation.
You can read more about the summit HERE.
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