By Chris Richburg
Kanye West’s much publicized confrontation with paparazzi photographers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is among a series of recent incidents motivating an L.A. city councilman to push for a new law regulating access to celebrities in public settings.
According to The LA Times, Councilman Dennis Zine is taking the lead in proposing the law, which would restrict commercial photography and video recordings 20 feet away from schools, hospitals and medical facilities.
The ordinance, Zine said, was created in response to complaints from celebrities and other citizens regarding "swarms" of paparazzi.
The main goal of the effort is to have a “safe area where people can conduct themselves . . . so we don't have the chaotic circumstances we now encounter," Zane said.
The politician’s quest comes just months after West and his road manager Don Crowley were arrested after an altercation with paparazzi, as he arrived at the airport for a flight in September.
West and Crowley were charged with felony vandalism, after grabbing photographers cameras and breaking them.
West was later released on $20,000 bail bond.
Although the LA County District Attorney’s office decided against filing felony counts against West, the rapper/producer could collect misdemeanor charges in light of the case being transferred to the city attorney’s office.
West’s troubles with the paparazzi continued November 14, when he encountered a photographer in an incident outside a Newcastle, England nightclub.
According to a police spokesperson, the entertainer was released “with no further action.”
Zine’s proposal has received support from legal experts who have signed off on its constitutionality.
Despite its restrictions, the council member noted that his ordinance would not stop photographers from using long lenses to do their job.
One of the most infamous paparazzi incidents involved Princess Diana, whose 1997 death came as she tried to escape tabloid photographers in Paris.
In April, a jury concluded that the Princess of Wales had been unlawfully killed by the grossly negligent driving of chauffeur Henri Paul and press photographers.