San Carlos OKs Anti-Marketing Ordinance

SAMCAR members who routinely 'farm' their neighborhoods in San Carlos will now be barred from doing so under an ordinance that prohibits the distribution of fliers, handbills, newspapers or other literature that isn't solicited or wanted on residential properties.

Under the ordinance, residents can list their home addresses in a "refusal of consent" registry posted online by the City Clerk's Office or they can tell someone not to disperse literature on their property or post clearly visible signs prohibiting it. A violation of the ordinance will be considered an infraction, with the first infraction set at $100, the second $200, and each one thereafter at $500.

SAMCAR has asked that real estate activities (such as farming) be exempted. Mail deliveries by the U.S. Postal Service and private postal or package delivery companies are exempt from the ordinance, as is literature from governmental agencies, nonprofits, campaign committees, election candidates, and local ballot initiatives.