Did you know it was once a crime to be ugly in California?
Way back in 1867, San Francisco passed a law banning anyone “unsightly or disgusting” from exposing themselves in public. This wasn’t just a vibe check, as it was actually designed to target anyone “diseased, maimed, mutilated or deformed in any way.” Martin Oates was the first person arrested for the crime in July 1867, and violators were sent to almshouses, or charitable housing built for the poor.
While California laws aren’t quite as strange (or mean-spirited) any longer, Los Angeles still has a few eyebrow-raising ordinances on the books. Here are a few of the oddest.
Don’t feed the peacocks.
Peacocks are such a nuisance in Arcadia, California that the offense of feeding them is reportedly punishable by a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.
Don’t wash your neighbor’s car.
No good deed goes unpunished. According to Los Angeles Municipal Ordinance 168,782, “No person shall dust, wipe, wash or otherwise clean, or use or employ any method of dusting, wiping, washing or otherwise cleaning, any vehicle or portion thereof while on any street unless such vehicle is owned by or under the direct control or supervision of the person doing any of the acts herein enumerated.” So don’t touch your neighbor’s stuff! Locals say the violation could cost you between $250 and $500.
Diverless cars can’t go over 65 miles an hour.
According to California law, driverless cars cannot exceed speeds of 65 miles per hour. The cars were once capped at 60 miles an hour, but the recent allowable speed increase will allow them to begin driving on Los Angeles freeways. Users who call a driverless car will be forced to take main roads until the update is made.
Don’t ride your bike in a pool.
Baldwin Park, California reportedly has a rule that you cannot ride bicycles in pools. It’s unclear who this is for – or if the act is even physically possible – but it must have happened once to be on the books.
No Christmas lights on your car.
California law prohibits Christmas lights on the exterior of moving vehicles as it can “mimic an emergency vehicle and confuse motorists,” FOX 40 reports. Fines have ranged from $100 – $1000.
Consider this your warning!