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Home My WebLink AboutCC Ord 262 1941-12-23 -.- . I 1 I " ORDINAR:lE NO. 262 AN ORDINAR:lE OF THE CITY OF SEAL BEACH, CALIFORNIA, RELATING TO AIR RAID PRE- CAUTIONS. BLACKOUTS AND PROVIDING PEN- ALTIES FOR THE VIOLAfION THEREOF. The City Council of the City of Seal,Beaoh1;- California, does hereby ordain as follows: SmTION 1. As used in this ordinance the following words and phrases shall mean: "Air raid warning signal" shall mean a signal. by siren, whistle, horn or other audible device, for two minutes duration consisting of either a fluctuating or warbling signal of varying pitch or a suoces sion 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 01' other audible device, of two minutes duration at a steady pitoh. "Period of air radd alarm" shall mean the interval of time be- tween the giving of the air raid warning signal and the giving of th next succeeding all::01ear signal. "Blackout structure" shall mean any spaoe so enclosed that any illumination maintained or exist1ng therein is not visible from any point outside such enolosure. SmTION 2. The Chief of Police 19 herebu authorized and directe to cause the sounding of an air raid warning signal and of an all ole~ signal when, and only when, the district in which the olty is looated 1s notified so to do by the United States Aircraft Warning Service. SECTION 3. Any person who eBfects or mainta1ns any illumination, or permits any illumination under his control to be effeoted or main- tained, at any place within the City of Seal Beaoh during any period of air raid alarm in the hours of darkness, except within a blackout structure, shall be guilty of a ,misdemeanor. SmTION 4. The maintenance 01' leaving of any illumination, ex- cept within a blackout structure, without prov1sion for its extinquish- ment, withln one minute after the commenoement of a period of air rai. alarm by a oompetent person over the age of eighteen years attendant I at the plaoe where such illumination is oontrolled, is hereby probibi e~ SmTION 5. In order to enable the Chief of Police to conform to the request of the United States Airoraft Warning Service for the ob- souration, diminution or extinguishment of any illumination, whether in or out of doors, which inoreases the vulnerability of the Oity of Seal Beaoh. or any portion thereof, to air attack, or for the regula- tion of traffic during the period of air raid alarm, the Chief of Police may adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for such purposes, and any rules and regulations so adopted by him shall be and remain in effeot for thirty(30)days thereafter. but no longer unless approved within said time by resolution of the City Oounoil; prOVided, however, that any rule or. regulation ao adopted by the Ohief of Polioe may at any t1me be rescinded by resolution of the C1ty Coun c11. Violation of any such rule or regulation so adopted and promul- gated is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor. SECTION 6. It shall be unlawful to disobey any lawful direction or order of a peace officer, highway patrolman, or fireman given dur- ing a period of air raid alarm, which order is reasonably necessary for the maintenance of public order or safety or to effeot the extin- u1shment or obscuration of light. -1- . - . I 1 I Ordinance Number SECTION 7. Any illumination contrary to the provisions of this ordinanoe, or to any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated in accordance with seotion 5 hereof, constitutes a public nuisance, and the same may be summarily abated by any peace officer, highway pat~o,- man, or fireman. Any structure may be entered by any peaoe officer, highway patrolman, or fireman, using reasonable force if necessary. for the purpose of abating such a nuisanoe by extinguishing such il- lumination. SECTION B. At the Oommenoement of a period of air raid alarm, the operator of any motor vehicle shall forthwith bring suoh vehicle as far as possible to the side of the street, road or highway off the main traveled portion thereof, and the operator of suoh motor vehiole, and the operator of any street oar, shall bring such motor vehicle of street car to a stop clear of any crossing. interseotion, fire house, fire house, fire plug. hospital or other emergency depot or area, and during the hours of darkness shall extinguish all light therein and thereon and said motor vehicle or street car shall remai so situated during the period of air raid alarm, unless directed or ordered to move by a peaoe offioer, highway patrolman, or fireman. SECTION 9. The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply to blaokout emergenoy vehicles, which shall include the following: 1) All Army and Navy vehicles; 2) All vehicles with United States Government oredentials in- dicating the neoessity of emergency movement; 3) All authorized emergency vehicles as defined ~~ sections 44 and 44.1 of the Vehicle Code of California; 4) All vehicles being operated by members of the California State Guard while actually on duty; 5) All vehicles of volunteer personnel engaged in the operation of the Aircraft ~iarning Service of the Fourth Interoeptor Command while suoh personnel areuactually going to or from their posts of du y. 6) All vehicles certified by sheriffs, district attorneys, the California State ~ighway Patrol, police chiefs, and fire chiefs,when within the respeotive territorial jurisdictions of the oertifying office. as being essential to the preservation of the public peaoe and safety or to the dissemination of public 1nformation or to the national defense; provided, however, that such vehioles shall confOl to the uniform lighting regulations approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Oalifornia State Highway Patrol for blackout emergency vehicles. No certificate shall be issued which conflicts with any regulation or oder of the United States Army applicable 1n the area for which the certificate is issued. SECTION 10. It shall be unlawful for any person without authori y, during any air raid alarm, to use, wear, exhibit or possess any uni- form, insignia, credential, or other indication of authority, or any imitation thereof, adopted and issued bF any official civilian defen e organ1zation. SECTION 11. Any person who shall operate a siren, whistle or other audible device in suoh a manner as to simulate an air raid war _ ing 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 orditanoe pf this city and every administrative order made pursuant thereto, requiring any il- lumination to be maintained in omnflict with this ordinance or with any rule or regulation made pursuant to section 5 of this ordinanoe, shall be deemed suspended during the period between any air raid warning signal and the next suoceeding all clear signal. SECTION 13. Any person who shall violate any provision of this ordinanoe shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction ther _ of, shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding three hundred doll s l$300.00)or by imprisonment in the City Jail o~ in the County Jail n t exceeding three months,or by both such fine and imprisonment. -2- . ' . I I I Ordinance Number S:EXlTION 14. This ordinance is required for the immediate pre:- servation of the publio peaoe, health and safety, and the following is the statement of faots constituting such urgenoy: The United States is at war and this oity is in great and continuing danger of air and other attaok by the enemy. S:EXlTION 15. If any provision of this ordinanoe or the applica- tion thereof to any person or circumstances is held invali~, such in validity shall not affeot other provisions or applications of this ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this ordi'anoe are deolared to be severable. S:EXlTION 16. The City Olerk shall certify to the adoption of thi ordinance and cause it to be published once in the Seal Beach Post & Wave, a newspaper of general circulation, printed and published in this city and thenoeforth and thereafter the same shall be in fUll force and effeot. "J Passed, Adopted and Approved, this ~~-uay of December, 1941. Attest :-Pt'16{ly4.1r~~~ ( SEA L) ~~~" Mayor or th~ y 0 e eaoh, California. STATE OF OALIFORNIA) County of Orange) sSG City of Seal Beach) I, Ollie B. Padrick, do hereby certify that J; am the C'ity Clert of the Oity of Seal BeaCh, California, and ex-officio Olerk of the City Council of said City; that the foregoing Ordinanoe was regularl introduced and read at a regular adjourned meeting of the City Counc,l of said C1ty held upon the 18th day of December~ 1941, and passed an! adoptjtd at a regular adjourmed meeting of sa1d uouncll held on the _~~~ day of December, 1941, by the following vote of the members i1iereor; towit: . AYES, Counc1lmen: 1J-.~"~IMI H~f4'J)~hJJ 1t~~"1 NOES, Councilmen: l~one ( SEA L ) ABSENT, Councilmen: ~~~~;.1 y er -3-