O969
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ORDINANCE NO.
969 eCCS)
(CITY COUNCIL SERIES)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA ADDING SECTION 6204W TO ARTICLE VI
OF THE SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL CODE TO LICENSE
"FLIPPER" IolACHINES
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA HEREBY
ORDAINS AS FOLLOh'S:
SECTION 1. Section 6204N is hereby added to Article
VI of the Santa Monica Municipal Code to read as follows:
Section 6204W. "F11pper" mach1nes.
1. No existlng section of the Santa Monica Municipal
Code will be interpreted to outlaw the public or private
possession, malntenance or operation of the game commonly
known as "Fllpper", and as described hereafter.
2. For purposes of the Santa Monica Municipal Code,
the game commonly called "Flipper" shall be defined
as a game of skill, played generally upon a glass-
covered rectangular table, the plaY1ng surface of which
is an inclined plane onto which the player propels a
metal ball. A square backboard lS mounted vertically
at the back of the table for the purpose of register-
lng the player's score, which lS done automatically
and electrically. Normally, to actlvate the machine
the player inserts a COln which automatlcally animates
the plaY1ng fleld and backboard and mobilizes the
mechanism for the game to begin. There are small
flippers' (from whence its name) or mechan1cal bats
{generally two 1n number normally located on each
slde of the plaYlng surface near the bottom of the
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lncllne) WhlCh the player may actuate by presslng a
button to strlke the ball back into the field of play
agaln. Before the ball goes out of play, and as it
contacts varlOUS targets and play features, it causes
various electrical contacts, each of which increase the
numerlcal or other score that is instantaneously indl-
cated on the scoring counter on the backboard. No
games issues or grants the rlght to rece~ve any merchan-
dise, tokens or anything of value; each game is
prlmarlly a game of skill, offering and providing only
recreatlon, leisure and amusement.
3. Except as provided below with regard to obtalning
extra or free games, it shall be unlawful to award or
be awarded any type of award or prlze as a result of
playing a "Flipper" game, whether in the form of money,
tokens, merchandise, or anything of value whatsoever.
4. Each "Fllpper" machine shall be regulated to lnsure
that the max1mum number of games Wh1Ch can be e1ther
obtained through the play of one game or accumulated
1S ten (10); each "Fllpper" rnach1ne shall be so regu-
lated to 1nsure that the only way extra or free games
can be removed 15 by plaY1ng them off one at a t1me,
i.e., the device (if there is such a devlce on the
mach1ne) which permits the removal of accumulated
free games without the necess1ty of play~ng them off
1n a one-at-a-tlme basis shall be rendered lnoperatlve.
5. It shall be unlawful for the owner of any "Fllpper"
game to cause the aforesaid game to be placed 1n any
bU1lding or area, whether public or private, w1thout
first obtaining the appropriate llcense from the C1ty
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of Santa Monica. Further, it shall be unlawful for the
owner, lessee, or llcensee of any building or area,
whether public or private, to allow any "Flipper"
machine to be operated upon his premises WhlCh has not
been licensed by the Clty of Santa Monica.
6. The license for the game commonly called "Flipper"
shall be $25.00 per machine per annum.
7. Each such license shall bear on its face the
number of the machine lt was purchased for and a
specific description of the game. Such llcense, or a
true copy thereof, shall be attached directly to the
machine ln a consplcuoUS place.
8. The refusal to grant or renew a llcense under this
Sectlon shall be subject to appeal and review in
accordance with the procedures for the License Appeals
Board contalned in thlS Code.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal
Code, or appendices thereto, inconsistent herewlth, to the extent
of such inconsistencies and no further, are hereby repealed or
modified to that extent necessary to effect the provisions of thlS
ordlnance.
SECTION 3. If any seetlon, subsectlon, sentence, clause
or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid
or unconstitutional by a declsion of any court of competent Juris-
diction, such decislon shall not affect the validlty of the
remaining portions of the ordlnance. The Clty Council hereby
declares that it would have passed thlS ordlnance and each and
every sectlon, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase not declared
invalid or unconstltutional without regard to whether any portlon
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of the ord~nance would be subsequently declared invalid or
unconstitut~onal.
SECTION 4. Any person violating any of the provisions
of this ord~nance shall be gu~lty of a misdemeanor and, upon
conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine not exceed~ng
Five Hundred ($500) Dollars or six (6) months ~n the county Jail
of Los Angeles County, or by both such fine and imprisonment ~n
the discretlon of the court.
SECTION 5. The Mayor shall sign and the Clty Clerk shall
attest to the passage of this ordinance. The Clty Clerk shall cause
the same to be published once in the off~cial newspaper within
fifteen days after its adoption. This ordinance shall become
effective after thirty days from its adoption.
ADOPTED this 3rd
day of September , 19~4.
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t;Ji~ Cf-I'~~'L--
Mayor
ATTEST:
f;~Q ~"
! Cl t Clerk
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 55.
CITY or SAJ."\JTA ~IONICA
I do hereby certify that the foregoing ordinance was
on the 27th
duly and regularly 1ntroduced at a meeting of the C1ty Council
, 1974; that thereafter
day of August
the sa1d ordinance was duly adopted at a meeting of the City
, 1974 by the
Council on the 3rd
day of September
follow1ng vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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C1ty Attorney
Counc11rnen: Judson, Lawson, Swink, Trives,
van den Steenhoven, Hoover
Councl.lmen: McCloskey
Councilmen: None
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;' C1 Clerk'
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