Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance #448 f I ` r-- ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA, RELATING TO AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS. WHEREAS, a state of war exists between the United States of America and other powers, including i Japan, and WHEREAS, the City of Huntington Beach, California, contains an oil field producing oil and gas, and is located on the coast, and WHEREAS, said City of Huntington Beach, California, is in great and continuous danger of air and other attacks `of the enemy, NOW THEREFORE, in and by the above pre— amble and statement the Council declares and defines that an emergency exists necessitating the follow® i i ing ordinance for the immediate preservation of the public peace, property, convenience, health and safety; WHEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, California, does ordain as follows: Section 1: As used in this ordinance the following words and phrases shall mean: -� 1 I i- "Air raid warning signal" shall mean a signal, by siren, whistle, horn or other audible device, of two minutes duration consisting of either a fluctuating or warbling signal of varying pitch or a succession of intermittent blasts of about five seconds duration separated by a silent period of about three seconds. "All ,olear signal" shall mean a continuous signal, by siren, horn or other audible, device, of two minutes dura$ibn at a steady pitch® "Period of air raid alarm" shall mean the interval of time between the giving of the air raid warning signal and the giving of the neat succeeding all clear signal* "Blackout structure" shall mean any space so enclosed that any illumination maintained or existing therein is not visible from any point out— side such enclosure* Section 2: The Chief of Police is hereby authorized and directed to cause the sounding of an air raid warning signal and of an all clear signal whens and only when, the district in which the city is located is notified so to do by the United States Aircraft Warning Service. Section 3a Any person who effects or l — maintains any illumination, or permits any illum- ination under his control to be effected or main- 1 j 2 --- twined, at any place .within the City of Huntington Beach during any period of air raid alarm in the hours of darkness, except within a blackout structures shall be guilty of a misdemeanors Section 4m The maintenance or leaving of any illumination, except within a blackout structures ' without provision for its extinguishment, within one minute after the commencement of a period of air raid alarm by a competent person over the age of eighteen years attendant at the place where such illumination is controlled, is hereby prohibited® Section 5: In order to enable the Chief of Police to conform to the request of the United States Aircraft Warning Service for the obscuration, dimtaittion or extinguishment of any illuminations whether in or out of doors which increases the vulnerability of the City of Huntington Beach, or any portion thereof$ to air attacks or for the reg— ulation of traffic during the period of air raid alarm,- the Chief of Police may adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for such purposess s and any rules or regulations so adopted by him shall be and remain in effect for thirty(34) days there- afters but no longer unless approved within said �j time by resolution of the City Council; provided, L howevers that any rule or regulation so adopted by 3 -sr�$ 1 i the Chief of Police may at any time be rescinded by �- - resolution of the City Council. Violation of any such rule or regulation so adopted and promulgated is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor* Section 6: It shall be unlawful to die— obey any lawful direction or order of a peace officer9 highway patrolman, or fireman given during a period of air raid alarm, which order is reasonably necessary for the maintenance of public order or safety or to effect the eg-tinguishment or obscuration of light® Section 7: Any illumination contrary to the provisions of this ordinance, or to any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated in accordance with section 5 hereof, constitutes a public nuisance, and the same may be summarily abated by any peace officer$ highway patrolman, or fireman. Any structure may be -entered by any peace officer, highway patrolman, or fireman, using reasonable force if necessary, for the purpose of abating such a nuisance by extinguish— ing. such illumination. Section 8: At the commencement of a period of air raid alarm, the operator of any motor vehicle shall forthwith brJLng such vehicle as far as possible to the side of the street, road or highway off the main traveled portion thereof, and the operator of such motor vehicle or street car to a stop clear of any crossing, intersection, fire house, fire plug, 4 �y8 hospital or other emergency depot or area, and during f the hours of darkness shall extinguish all lights therein or thereon and said motor vehicle or street i car shall remain so situated during the petirod of air raid alarms unless directed or ordered to move by a peace officer, highway patrolman, or fireman® Section 9: The provisions of this ordin— anee shall not apply to blackout emergency vehicles, which shall include the following: (1) All Army and Navy vehicles; (2) All vehicles with United States Government credentials indicating the necessity of emergency movement; (3) All authorized emergency vehicles as defined in sections 44 and 44*1 of the Vehicle Code of California; (4) All vehicles of the California State L Guard while actually on duty* (5) All vehicles of the volunteer person— „ r nel engaged in the operation of the Aircraft Warning Service of the Fourth Interceptor Command, while such personnel are actually going to or from their post of duty* (6) All vehicles certified by sheriffs, district, attorneys, the California State Highway ,I Patrol, police chiefs, and fire chiefs, when within the respective territorial jurisdictions of the i certifying office, as being essential to the pres- 5 i 0 ervation of the public peace and safety or to the dissemination of public information or to the national i defense; provided, however, that such vehicles shall conform to the uniform lighting regulations approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the California State Highway Patrol for blackout emergency vehicles. No certificate shall be issued which conflicts with any regulation or order of the United States Army applicable in the area for which the certificate is issued. Section 10: It shall be unlawful for any person without authority, during any air raid alarms to use, wear, exhibit or possess any uniform, insignias credential, or other indication of authority, or any imitation thereof, adopted and issued by any official civilian defense organisations Section 11 : Any person who shall operate i a siren, whistle or other audible device in such a manner as to simulate an air raid warning signal or an all clear signal, except upon order of the Chief of Police, or other proper authority, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor* Section 12: The provisions of every ordin— ance of this city and every administrative order made pursuant thereto, requiring any illumination to be _ maintained in conflict ,with this ordinance or with i any rule or regulation made pursuant to section 5 of 6 this ordinance, shall be deemed suspended during the period between any air raid warning signal and the next succeeding all clear signal, Section 13: Any person who shall violete'` any provision of this ordinance shall` be guilty of a misdemeanor ands upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by fine of not exceeding three hundred dollars ($300.00) or by imprisonment in the ,County Fail not exceeding three (3) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, Section 14: That this ordinance, being an emergency measure for the immediate preservation of the public peace, property, health and safety, which emergency is set forth and defined in the preamble hereto, shall take effect and be in force from and after the passage and adoption hereof, ` Section 15: If any provision of this ordinance or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity o shall not affect other provisions or applications of this ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or applications, and to this end the provisions of this ordinance are declared j to be severable. Section 16: The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this ordinance by a 7 I �y8 - vote of four—fifths of the members of the City Council and shall thereafter for more public notice cause the same to be published by one insertion in the Hunting— ton Beach Newsy a newspaper of general circulationg. printed, published and circulated in the City of .Huntington Beach, California, ATTEST; I , ity Clerk i f 8 STATE OF CAtIFORNIA County of Orange SS City of Huntington Beach I , Ca R. FURR, the duly elected, qualified and acting City Clerk of the City of Huntington Beach, and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of said City of Huntington Beach, do hereby certify that the whole number of members of the City Council of the City of i Huntington Beach is five; that the foregoing ordin- ance was first read to said City,Council at a regular- ly adjourned meeting thereof held on the day of December, 1941) and was again read to said City Council at a regularly adjourned meeting thereof th held on the day of December, 1941, and was � passed and adopted by the affirmative vote of more than a majority of all the members of said City Council as follows: AYES: Councilmen: L ✓GZ NOES: Councilmen: ABSENT: Councilmen: �- ., City Clerk and ex-officio Clerk of the City Council of the City U of Huntington Beach, California. 8