Culver City’s own Robert Zirgulis was arrested on July 7 in Hollywood and charged with driving a hack without a hack license; apparently being a political hack does not qualify him to drive a gypsy cab. This is a misdemeanor in the legal code, (and probably no worse that getting a ticket from a red light camera, ) but shouldn’t those who are technically running for elected office be a bit more conscious about following the law?
Zirgulis was cited for the following offenses: count 1: 71.02(A) LAMC MISD & count 2: 71.03(D) LAMC MISD
BookmarkSEC. 71.02. OPERATION OF VEHICLES – PERMITS OR FRANCHISES REQUIRED.
(Amended by Ord. No. 174,058, Eff. 8/9/01.)
(a) No person or corporation shall drive, operate or use, whether as owner, lessor, lessee or otherwise, any of the vehicles defined in Section 71.00 to pick up or attempt to pick up passengers within the limits of the City of Los Angeles, or allow or permit to be operated, driven, or used, whether as owner, lessor, lessee, or otherwise, any of the vehicles defined in Section 71.00 to pick up or attempt to pick up passengers within the limits of the City of Los Angeles unless a written vehicle permit for the operation of such specifically defined vehicles has been obtained from the Board; provided, however, that no vehicle permit shall be required for the operation of any vehicle under and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a franchise granted by the City of Los Angeles.
(b) No person or corporation or membership organization shall drive or operate a taxicab without a franchise granted by the City of Los Angeles. The Board may grant a taxicab vehicle permit to grantee or a member of grantee for each vehicle operated under a taxicab franchise. No taxicab shall be operated under a franchise unless the Board has issued such a permit for each specific vehicle. A taxicab operated under a franchise may not continue in service if the taxicab vehicle permit is expired, suspended, canceled or revoked. The Board may authorize the decaling of each individual taxicab by the Department as approval for a taxicab vehicle permit.
(c) Every corporation, person, cooperative, or association who operates a taxicab and who knowingly and willfully issues, publishes or affixes, or causes or permits the issuance, publishing or affixing of any oral or written advertisement, broadcast or holding out to the public or any portion thereof, in any manner whatsoever, that the corporation or person is in operation as a taxicab company or an individual taxicab without having a valid vehicle permit and franchise granted by the City of Los Angeles is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(d) In no event shall any person or corporation who drives or operates a taxicab in the City of Los Angeles publish, advertise or broadcast in any manner, written or oral, a telephone number either by itself or connected to a rotary or call forwarding system for taxicab service, which is the same telephone number as that for other vehicles for hire.
Zirgulis was also charged with a violation of 71.03, driving a vehicle without a permit, but this charge as dismissed as a part of a plea bargain.
Maybe this explains why Mr. Zirgulis feels so strongly about red light cameras.
That’s a good one, Christine!
But I don’t know how being a motor vehicle scofflaw could affect his judgment, or lack thereof, one way or another on school administration and policy. I think the guy’s just short of cash, for his campaign, or just cash flow in general. He’s not the only one.
I also think we could all sink to a whole new low if we began examining the private lives of our Culver City elected celebrities past and present (long-term no-bones-about-it marital infidelity, etc., R.I.P.) Be kind of nice to leave that petty business to other municipalities.
It may seem petty – and believe me, I stood off on this for quite a while- but the fact that he is running for office made me decide that it needed to be published. It does fall into the category of news (without being News of the World, in that way-) in a very standard journalism kind of way.
If he were a former candidate, I certainly would have let it go.
I have heard Mr. Zirgulis speak about his recent trip to Europe, and so I am not convinced that keeping the wolf from the door was his motive.
If someone is standing for office, I do expect them to be able to obey the law. (Civil disobedience exempted, but don’t get me started-)