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Home My WebLink About1670 ORDINANCE NO. 1670 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO RELATING TO AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS The City Counoil of the City of San Bernardino does hereby ordain as follows: SECTION I. 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, ot two minutes duration consisting of either a fluotuating or warbling signal of varying pitoh or a succession of intermittent blasts at .about five seoonds duration separated by a silent period of about three seconds'. "All clear signal" shall mean a oontinuous signal, by siren, horn or other audible devioe, of two minutes duration at a steady pitoh. "Period of air raid alarm" shall mean the interval of time between the g1 ving ot the air raid warning signal and the giving of the next succeeding all olear signal. "Blaokout structure" shall mean any spaoe so enclosed that any illumination maintained or existing therein is not visible trom any point outside such enolosure. SECTION 2. The Chiet at Polioe is hereby authorized and direoted to oause the ,sounding of an air raid warning sig- nal and of an all clear signal when, and only when, the district in which the Gitv i8 located is notified so to do by the United States Airoraft Warning Service. SECTION J. Any person who etfects or maintains any illumination, or permits any illumination under his control to be effected or maintained, at any plaoe within the City ot San Bernardino during any period of air raid alarm in the hours of darkness, except within a blaokout struoture, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. SECTION 4. The maintenanoe or leaving ot any illumin- ation, exoept within a blaokout structure, without provision for its extinguisbment, within one minute atter the oOllDllencement at a period of air raid alarm by a competent person over the age of eighteen years attendant at the place Where such illum- ination is controlled, is hereby prohibited. SECTION 5. In order to enable the Chiet ot Polioe to oontorm to the request at the United states Aircraft Warning Service tOD the obscuration, diminution or extinguisbment of any illumination, whether in or out at doors, whioh inoreases the vulnerability of the City of San Bernardino, or any portion thereof, to air attaok, or for the regulation at tratfic during the period of air raid alarm, the Chief of Police may adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for suoh purposes, 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 :51 32 '}, " , , , 1 2 3 4 5 6 7' , 8 and any nles or regulations so adopted by him shall be and remain in effeot for thirty (30) days thereafter, but nO'longer unless approved wi thin said time by resolution of the City Council; provided, however, that any rule or regulation so adopted by the Chiet at Polioe may at any time be resoinded by resolution of the City Counoil. Violation of any suoh rule or regulation so adopted and promulgated is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor. SECTION 6. It shall be unlawful to disobey any lawful direction or order ot a peace of ticer, highway patrolman, or fireman given during a period of air raid alarm, whioh order is reasonably neoessary for the maintenance ot publio order or satety or to etfect the extinguishment or obsouration of light. SECTION 7. Any illumination oontrary to the provisions ot this ordinance, or to any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated in acoordanoe with section 5 hereot, oonstitutes a publio nuisance, and the same may be s~arily abated by any peace of ticer, highway patrolman, or f~reman. Any structure may be entered by any peace officer, highway patrolman, or fire- man, using reasonable foroe it necessary, for the purpose at abating such a nuisance by extinguishing such illumination. SECTION S. At the oommenoement at a period at air raid alarm, the operator at any motor vehiole shall forthwith bring suoh vehiole as tar as possible to the side of the street, road or highway off the main traveled portion thereat, and the oper- ator of such motor vehicle, and the operator of any street car, shall bring such motor vehicle or street oar~o a stop clear of any orossing, intersection, fire house, fire plug, hospital or other emergency depot or area, and during the hours at darkness shall extinguish all lights therein or thereon and said motor vehiole or street car shall remain so situated during the period of air raid alarm, unless directed or ordered to move by a peace offioer, highway patrolman, or fireman. SECTION 9. The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply to blackout emergency vehioles, which shall include the following : ( 1) All ArJIly and Ravy vehicles; (2) All vehicles with United States Government oreden- tials indicating the necessity of emergency movement j (3) All authorized emergency vehioles as defined in seotions 44 and 44.l of the Vehicle Code of Calitornia; (4) All vehioles being operated by members ot the Cali- tornia State Guard while actually on duty; (5) All vehioles of volunteer personnel engaged in the operation of the Aircraft Warning Servioe ot the Interceptor Command while suoh personnel are actually going to or from their posts at duty. (6) All vehicles oertified by sherifts, distriot at- torneys, the California State Highway Patrol, pOlice ohiets, and fire chiefs, when within the respective territorial jurisdiotions of the certifying office, as being essential to the preservation ot the pub1io peace and safety or to the dissemination of public information or to the national detensej provided, however, that -2- 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 :50 1 2 3 4 suoh vehioles shall cantorm to the uniform lighting regulations approved by the Department at MotJr Vehioles and the California State Highway Patrol for blackout cemergenoy vehioles. No oer- tifioate shall be issued whioh 00 tlicts with any regulation or order of the United States Army applioable in the area tor which the oertifioate is issued. ' 5 SECTION lO. It shall be unlawful for any person without authority, during any air raid alarm, to use, wear, exhibit or possess any uniform, insignia, credential, or other indication at authority, or any imitation thereot, adopted and issued by any oftioial oivilian defense organization. SECTION 11. Any person who shall operate a siren, whistle or other audible device in suoh a manner as to simulate an air raid warning signal or an all olear signal, except upon order of the Chiet at Polioe, or other proper authority, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. SECTION 12. The provisions of every ordinance at this city and every administrative order made pursuant thereto, re- quiring any illumination to be maintained in oonfliot with this ordinanoe or with any rule or regulation made pursuant to section 5 ot this ordinance, shall be deemed suspended during the period between any air raid warning signal and the next suoceeding all olear signal. SECTION 13. Any person who shall violate any provision at this ordinance shall be guilty ot a misdemeanor and, upon oon- viction thereot, shall be punished by a tine at not exoeeding three hundred dollars ($300.00) or by imprisonment in the City Jailor in the County Jail not exceeding three months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. SECTION l4. This ordinanoe is required tor the immediate preservation of the publio peaoe, health and satety, and the fol- lowing is the statement of facts constituting such urgency: The, United States is at war and this oity is in great and oontinuing danger of air and other attaok by the enemy. That by reason thereof said ordinanoe shall take etfeot immediately upon its passage and approval by the Mayor and Common Counoil. SECTION l5. It eny provision ot this ordinanoe or the application thereof to eny person or oircumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not aftect other provisions or applioations ot this ordinanoe which can be given effeot without the invalid provision or applioation, and to this end the provisions of this ordinance are deolared to be severable. 6 7 8 SECTION 16. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage 01' this Ordinence and cause it to be published three oonsecutive times in the San Bernardino Daily Sun, a newspaper ot general oirculation printed and publiShed in this oity. I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Ordinanoe was duly adopted by the Mayor and Common Council of the City_oji San Ber- nardino at a regular meeting thereat held on the ~day of Deoember, 1941, by the following vote, to-wit: :51 32 -3- 1 2 :5 4 5 6 7 8! 9 ! 10 II I 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 2:5 24 25 26 27 28 29 :sO :51 :52 Aye Noes Absent I hereby approve of Deoember, 1941. this Il:b::;.ay Pr.P~~;~"': eo ,. -{-~ ~-:? .11Io'0 to fOrlll. -4-