LOS ANGELES, July 8 (UPI) -- An airport official applauded a federal court ruling allowing police to enforce a city ordinance prohibiting donation solicitations at Los Angeles's airport.
The municipal ordinance banning panhandling by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of California and other groups was passed almost 13 years ago, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
But the Krishnas sued in federal court, saying that the measure violated state constitutional free-speech guarantees, the Times reported.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban, saying solicitations of money in the terminals, parking areas and sidewalks were not protected speech under the state Constitution.
The ruling still allows groups and individuals to hand out literature and speak to travelers willing to listen, the Times said.
Travelers complained for years about aggressive panhandlers, the newspaper said.
"This is a huge step forward in ensuring the comfort and safety of the traveling public. From now on the traveling public will not have to worry about solicitors asking for money," said Gina Marie Lindsay, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports.
