Haggerty v. County of Kings

256 P.2d 393, 117 Cal. App. 2d 470, 32 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2185, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1838
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 28, 1953
DocketCiv. 4380
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 256 P.2d 393 (Haggerty v. County of Kings) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Haggerty v. County of Kings, 256 P.2d 393, 117 Cal. App. 2d 470, 32 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2185, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1838 (Cal. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

MUSSELL, J.

Plaintiff appeals from a judgment entered against him after a demurrer to his complaint was sustained without leave to amend. The action was brought by one C. J. Haggerty individually and in a representative capacity *472 for and on behalf of the California State Federation of Labor, an unincorporated association, its officers and members to obtain an injunction against certain officers of Kings County, restraining said officers from interfering with peaceful picketing and the enforcement of ordinances numbers 155 and 199 of the county of Kings and from prosecuting two individuals in the justice court for alleged violations of said ordinances.

It is alleged in the complaint, in substance, that the California State Federation of Labor (hereinafter called the “Federation”) is a voluntary association of labor unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and that the National Farm Labor Union is also affiliated with said Federation j that plaintiff C. J. Haggerty is the secretary of said Federation and a member of one of the labor unions affiliated with the said Federation; that the members of said Federation and the National Farm Labor Union, constitute a class similarly situated with respect to the matters alleged; that the subject matter of the complaint is a matter of interest to all of the members of said organization and that plaintiff has been authorized to represent all of the members of said unions and. bring this suit in a representative capacity for and on behalf of himself and all other organizations similarly situated; that the said Federation and the said National Farm Labor Union and its members have found it necessary to picket employers. in the farming areas in Kings County; that, the ordinary method of picketing in such areas would entail great, and unbearable expense to said unions and would not be effective; that the said, unions have employed a method of picketing and publicizing labor disputes which involves the use of a number of automobiles proceeding in concert and involving also the use of loud speakers in order to attain the necessary publicity ; that said method of picketing has been carried on without violence or threat of violence and without any more interference with traffic on or across the roads and highways than would be involved by other lawful and ordinary traffic; that in order to prevent peaceable assemblage and peaceable picketing, and the exercise of freedom of speech by said unions and-the members thereof, the defendants have threatened' to institute and are instituting prosecution of such pickets and members under the provisions of the two said ordinances and in particular are prosecuting K. E. Wadley and Timothy Parker in' the court of the justice of the peace for -violations of said ordinances and that unless restrained, the said justice of the peace will convict said Wadley and Parker and. subject them *473 to the penalties set out in said ordinances; that the said ordinances are unconstitutional and void; that R. B. Wadley and William Becker, members of the National Farm Labor Union applied for permission to use a loud speaker; that permission was denied and that the board of supervisors refused to hear evidence in connection with the application. The prayer of the complaint is that the defendants be restrained from interfering with the constitutional rights of the plaintiff, and the members of the unions whom he represents, to free speech as expressed by peaceful picketing; from attempting to enforce said ordinances and from presenting or continuing the prosecution of R. B. Wadley and Timothy Parker before the said justice of the peace. Damages are also asked for in the sum of $100,000.

The ordinances involved are attached to the complaint as exhibits and insofar as are here material, provide as follows:

1 ‘ Ordinance No. 199
“Ordinance Requiring Permits for the Use of Loud Speakers on Vehicles Upon Highways in the Unincorporated Areas of Kings County.
11 Section 2. It shall be unlawful for any person, other than law enforcement and governmental agencies to employ a speaker mounted upon a vehicle for the purpose of giving instructions, directions, making talks, addresses or lectures to any persons or assemblage upon or over any highway# without first obtaining a permit therefor as hereinafter provided.
Section 3. The Board of Supervisors may grant any person a permit to employ a speaker mounted upon a vehicle upon or over any highway, upon proper application therefor, notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2. hereof. . . .
“Section 6. The Board of Supervisors shall grant said permit at said time, unless there is presented to the Board at the time of said consideration substantial and convincing evidence of a clear and present danger that the granting of said permit will result in the obstruction of the orderly movement of traffic or the peaceable passage or presence of persons, to, over or upon the public highways and other public places, or disorder or unlawful conduct, or unlawful injury of persons, or destruction of life or property, or tending to incite crime, or an invasion of the rights of privacy, or threatening the overthrow of the lawfully established government by force, in which case said permit may be denied.
*474 “Section. 9. Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not exceeding Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), or by imprisonment not exceeding six months or by both such fine and imprisonment.”
‘ ‘ Ordinance No. 155
“An Ordinance Prohibiting Parades in Unincorporated Areas of the County of Kings Without a Permit, Providing for Application for and Issuance of Permits Therefor, and Providing Penalties for Violation of the Ordinance.
“Section 1. It shall be unlawful for any person to hold or conduct or to participate in any parade, procession or caravan upon any public highway in the County of Kings, State of California outside the 'limits of any incorporated city in said county, unless there has first been secured from the Sheriff of the County of Kings a written permit for the holding of such parade, procession or caravan.
“Section 2. To secure such written permit the person or organization sponsoring such parade, procession or caravan shall file a written application with the Sheriff of the County of Kings stating therein the name of the person or organization sponsoring the same, the route of travel of the same, the date and hour of holding the same, the approximate number of persons or vehicles expected to participate in the same, the purpose of holding the same, and such other information as shall be required by said Sheriff. Upon the filing of such application, if in his opinion the holding of such parade, procession or caravan will not unduly interfere with traffic upon the public highways and will, not tend to cause a disturbance of the public peace, the Sheriff may in his discretion issue a written permit allowing the holding of such parade, procession or caravan.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
256 P.2d 393, 117 Cal. App. 2d 470, 32 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2185, 1953 Cal. App. LEXIS 1838, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haggerty-v-county-of-kings-calctapp-1953.