Seaside work session advances idea of busker permits, separates busking from panhandling

At a March work session on street activity in Seaside, performers, business owners and city staff discussed proposals to treat busking, soliciting and panhandling as separate categories and to regulate each under time, place and manner rules rather than by policing speech content.

The discussion drew performers and downtown merchants who said they want clearer rules so responsible street performers can operate without creating conflicts for businesses or public safety. “You have to have something large that would have to be right next to their receptacle, whatever that receptacle was,” said Bert, a local sand-sculptor and performer who urged a permit program modeled on Pike Place Market.

Bert told the council that a busker permit should include a required code of conduct, a limit on amplification, a one-hour time limit per pitch, and a visible permit displayed next to a tip receptacle. He said…