(a) Civic Center Plaza is primarily designated for civic and governmental uses and for access to City Hall and its parking garage. General public use of the Civic Center Plaza is permitted for political, demonstrative, educational, and recreational purposes except to the extent that it conflicts with these civic and governmental uses. For the purpose of providing security, access, and noninterference with the civic and governmental uses within City Hall, no person may use those portions of Civic Center Plaza within fifteen feet of City Hall for political, demonstrative, educational or recreational purposes. The city manager may take any measures that are reasonably necessary to prevent such general use by the public for political, demonstrative, educational, and recreational purposes from disrupting or interfering with either civic and governmental uses or other conflicting uses by the general public.
(b) Commercial activities and commercial solicitation not associated with and supportive of city programs or city-sponsored activities are prohibited within the Civic Center Plaza.
(c) No person shall discard any litter or other material which presents a slipping hazard or environmental hazard or which damages or defaces any surface in Civic Center Plaza.
(d) No person shall drive, park, place or erect on the Civic Center Plaza or surrounding sidewalks of the Civic Center Block any vehicle or object (including without limitation maintenance and construction vehicles, supplies, and equipment, scaffolds, stages, platforms or other structures) which is determined by the director of public works to exceed safe weight limits for the structural slab and supports of the Civic Center Plaza and surrounding sidewalks; no person shall drive or place on the Civic Center Plaza or surrounding sidewalks of the Civic Center Block any vehicle or object exceeding two hundred fifty pounds without first obtaining the review and approval of the director of public works.
(e) Camping is prohibited, and it shall be unlawful for any person to camp on Civic Center Plaza. "Camping" is defined as the use of Civic Center Plaza for living accommodation purposes such as sleeping or making preparations to sleep (including the laying down of bedding for the purpose of sleeping), storing personal belongings, employing any fire or heating device, erecting or using any tents or shelter or other structure or vehicle for sleeping, doing any digging or earth breaking, or carrying on cooking activities. "Camping" also means residing in or using the Civic Center Plaza for living accommodation purposes, as exemplified by remaining for prolonged or repetitious periods of time not associated with ordinary political, congregational, recreational, or social uses with one's personal possessions (including but not limited to clothing, sleeping bags, bedrolls, blankets, sheets, luggage, backpacks, kitchen utensils, cookware, and similar material), sleeping or making preparations to sleep, storing personal belongings as above defined, or cooking or consuming meals. These activities constitute camping when it reasonably appears, in light of all the circumstances, that a person is using Civic Center Plaza as a living accommodation regardless of that person's intent or the nature of any other activities in which they might also be engaging.
(Ord. 4575 § 2 (part), 1999)