(VENICE BEACH) The Venice Beach boardwalk is known as a happening place. However, the Los Angeles City Council thinks there may be too much going on there.After receiving hundreds of complaints from area residents over the past year, the council has asked city lawyers to draw up some new rules. The new rules could include a ban on musical instruments and amplified sound between sunset and 9 A.M.

The council wants to crack down on street performers that draw big crowds and clog the boardwalk. The council also wants to limit the size and number of demonstrations. Many people consider the boardwalk a free speech zone.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl says it's the first step toward creating a more peaceful environment for boardwalk business owners, residents and thousands of visitors.

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William Jablonski, a regular busker on the Vegas strip, claims he has been harassed by officers who have repeatedly cited him for obstructing the pavement, disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance.


Mr Jablonski, who signs autographs, poses for tourists and once performed for a televised Elvis tribute at the MGM Grand, is taking police to court to prove that impersonating "The King" is a constitutional right.

The street performer claims that he has been wrongfully hounded by officers.

He stopped performing in public after he was cited for obstructing the pavement in 2007.

A year later, having donned his velvet suit again, he was confronted as he sang in front of the Paris Hotel & Casino by a Las Vegas police officer who told him not to have his picture taken with tourists or accept...

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(KEY WEST) It's been brewing since last year when regulations for street-performing were brought up in City Hall. Now, a tourist was recently bitten on the face by a performer's lemur which has triggered a new law requiring entertainers to have a minimum of $300,000 of liability insurance.

The law was designed to bring street entertainers in line with other groups, such as taxis, pedicabs and street food vendors, all of whom are required to have similar liability policies.

Restrictions where you can perform were placed on Duval Street but not past Petronia. The first two blocks of Whitehead and other "pitch" restrictions also go into effect. The yearly permit was raised from $100 to $150 and if there's is a festival going on, no performing is allowed. Performer's insurance is available on the...

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(SAN ANTONIO) The city of San Antonio, Texas has opened the streets to buskers and street performers. Also under re-consideration is nearby Market Square and La Villita."The main purpose is to facilitate the development of neighborhoods, cultural centers, and businesses in the downtown area to create a thriving Central Business District that fosters a warm and inviting atmosphere for residents, employees, and visitors."

The Downtown Street Performer Policy was passed last year but it took a long time for many buskers to hear about it.

Public parks are among the most encouraged places for musicians – and performers of any kind, for that matter – to share their art. Many parks across America are off-limits when it comes to performing.

Read what happens as a busker gently tries to inf...

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Briefly put, the Naked Cowboy and candy giant Mars reached a down-to-earth settlement in Federal Court Friday over a Times Square billboard.

No one's talking, least of all the normally voluble Robert Burck, who parades around the Crossroads of the World in his skivvies, strumming a guitar and urging passersby to think of him as God.

Burck sued Mars for millions last winter, alleging two Times Square billboards and a mural that depicted a guitar-wielding M&M candy in tight white shorts gave the impression that he's endorsing their product.

Last June, Federal Judge Denny Chin ruled the Cowboy's suit accusing Mars of "false endorsement" could continue.

The suit was resolved Friday with a closed-door settlement.

By Owen Moritz
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Cooper/AP