Zuma Dogg Fights City Hall
by The Plaintiff - Treatment and Scenes:

March 25, 2010, The City of Los Angeles began enforcing Ordinance 42.15 on the world-famous Venice Beach Ocean Front boardwalk. The new law of the boardwalk banned amplifiers along most of the boardwalk and required a permit fee and lottery on Tuesday morning for the chance of 1st Amendment protected “free”speech on Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

October 21, 2010, Federal Judge Dean Pregerson placed an injunction on what can now be called an illegal act of the City of Los Angeles, in violation of the U.S. constitution and law of the land, throwing out the ban on amplifiers and the permit/lottery system. And now, Free Speech is “free,” once again in the City of Los Angeles and this ruling may now be used by people across the United States of America.

This is the story of “Zuma Dogg.” One of the twelve plaintiffs who sued Los Angeles in Federal court, without a attorney, and walked away victorious. Mr. Dogg is now represented by the most feared civil rights law firm in the city for his damages claims.

In the time between March 2010 and October 2010, Zuma Dogg went from blissful rapper, singing, comedic performer on Venice Beach (with companion public access show that saturated Los Angeles County cable systems) to become the most recognized political activist in L.A. City history, while forced to live on the streets as a homeless activist after the oridnance went into effect. (And unfortunately, a “permanently disable” diagnosis by their L.A. County doctor, which doesn’t help the city in the damages phase.)

Governor Schwarzenegger, Sheriff Lee Baca, District Attorney Steve Cooley, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and most any other elected official, all know Zuma Dogg and will take a moment to talk to him to try to stay on ZD’s good side.

He is now stopped on the streets, daily, by residents who thank him for his efforts after seeing him on Time-Warner cable TV 35, broadcast on every cable home in L.A., appearing at the Los Angeles CIty Council meetings, where he uncovers and exposes the fraud, waste and abuse that has driven the city to the edge of bankruptcy.

ABC Nightline, all local TV news channels, talk radio, newspapers and bloggers across the internet have covered the entire story that has also unfolded in front of the public on YouTube and Zuma Dogg’s own blogs, like http://ZumaShow.com and popular political blog, http://LACityNews.com.

In the last mayoral election, ZD ran against Antonio Villaraiogsa, and in a crowded field of ten candidates, came in third among challengers, which stunned the city and political insiders since ZD was homeless the entire time, didn’t spend a penny on a flier or sticker and each and every of the nearly 10,000 votes, were by word of mouth and based on his TV appearances and media coverage throughout the city.

Now Zuma Dogg lives in HUD housing in Venice, a block from the boardwalk and is in discussions with the City of Los Angeles on settling the case, rather than taking it to a jury trial to determine a damage amount, which will be quite a large award now, with a recent “permanently disabled” diagnosis by the County doctor. (Not an easy thing to achieve.)

It should be noted, Zuma Dogg has been called a, “legend, icon, prophet, genius, hero, etc.” in the local media...and he has also been called a crazy, bipolar, nightmare from hell.

YES, he’s BOTH...and the public seems to LOVE watching the insightful, dancing, singing and zinging train-wreck.

Here’s his story, which is my story, because like many other larger-than-life legends, Zuma Dogg refers to himself in third person. Otherwise, it gets too confusing for me. (It’s kinda like Bruce Wayne/Batman or Peter Parker/Spiderman. Or, if your a shady politician, they’ll say it’s more like Harvey Dent/Two-Face or Jack Nicholson/Joker. But, my mom is yet to recognize Zuma Dogg and calls me, “David.”)

But, David is gone, my friend: You can call me...ZUMA DOGG! And he’s a little bitter, cranky bipolar, CRAZY from sleep deprivation while trying to catch a wink on the sidewalk for the better part of four years. I am feeling a lot better, though, after being forced by the county to take prescription medication and beating the city in Federal Court!

”HOODY HOOOO!!! IT’S ZUMA DOGG, Y’ALL!!!”

Living the Forrest Gump life, with Forrest Gump stories, in Venice, CA.

- above tweeted on ZD tweetlonger/ZD twitter -

SCENE: ZD doing final part of LIVE TV show on public access. Then leaving cable studio and going to Venice Beach on Saturday to perform. As usual, as soon as ZD walks 20 feet on the steets of L.A., someone honks horn, as some 20’ish hangs out window and shouts-out, “Zuuuuuumaaaaaa Doooooogggg!” as car passes by.

SCENE: ZD performing on Venice Beach boardwalk (Saturday, 3.25.10) when LAPD tells ZD to “turn it down, or they’ll get him on something else.”

SCENE: LAPD approaches ZD on boardwalk and tells him he has to stop selling his (1st Amendment protected) original, Zuma Dogg T-shirts (of his own image), or he will be placed in handcuffs and arrested.

SCENE: Flashbacks to ZD’s NYC/Times Square radio executive days riding limos to VIP events and dinner parties with Springsteen, Elton, KISS, Tina Turner, R&R Hall of Fame Ceremonies, Grammys, MTV Awards, Ritz-Carlton lunches, more expensive dinners, then late night exclusive bar nights till 4am.

SCENE: ZD calls Councilman’s office and is told by Chief-of-Staff on the phone, “We know you are allowed to sell the kind of original shirts that you are selling, but someone might sell a commercial shirt with a Nike logo, so we are banning sales of all shirts on the boardwalk.

SCENE: Other Venice performers and vendors tell ZD the city is violating the 1st Amendment, the entire new law is illegal, and coerce ZD to attend an upcoming L.A. City Council meeting to inform council the new law is in violation of the U.S. constitution and they will get sued.

SCENE: ZD researches 1st Amendment cases to see if City of Los Angleles’ new law is a violation of U.S constitution. He reads cases and walks away feeling it is, indeed, a violation o f 1st Amendment.

SCENE: ZD goes to L.A. City Hall to notify council, on the record, that the city attorney made a mistake and their new ordinance was legally flawed in violation of FEDERAL law.

SCENE: ZD sees the deputy mayor in city hall rotunda and tells him their new rules are in violation of Federal law. Deputy says to ZD, “The City of Los Angeles runs the City of Los Angeles, and if you don’t like it...sue!”

SCENE: Three years worth of city council meetings, three days a week, where Zuma Dogg attended nearly all of them. Each one broadcast three times on Time-Warner cable throughout the city, where Zuma Dogg BLASTS them with scornful exposures of their fraud, waste and abuse. Topics expand into pension scandal, LAUSD, housing department corruption, budget issues, etc.

SCENE: People handing ZD $20 bills at city hall during the council meetings and in line at Starbucks and occasional other places he is recognized. But it’s not enough to keep ZD from sinking further and further into a degenerate rut.

SCENE: The first night Zuma Dogg is sleeping in his car, because he can’t get into room he was renting, cause he doesn’t have money for rent, since he can’t perform and sell shirts at Venice Beach.

SCENE: More and more long nights sleeping in the car. Less and less hours sleeping. More and more hours rolling around in the car at 3am...4am...5am...then driving downtown to BLAST CITY COUNCIL AGAIN on TV, until they FIX THE ILLEGAL LAW!

SCENE: Emmy, Grammy & Academy Award “A-list” stars stopping ZD in Malibu to meet him and pay their respects and ask him how he does it. (ZD believed to be a mysterious force of improv-genius, the likes of which they have never seen before and wonder aloud in dis-belief how one guy does it.)

SCENE: ZD calling into radio stations as he sits in his car scanning the radio, talking on the phone to other activists and scanning council agendas and researching the items to find the shady angles to expose on LIVE TV, the next day.

SCENE: L.A. Times does a FULL PAGE story on “Zuma Dogg Fights City Hall,” where councilmembers are quoted as calling Zuma Dogg, “a mix of curiosity and crusader.” And, “stunned and amazed. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

SCENE: Zuma Dogg walking down the streets and hanging out in coffee shops, as more and more people start to walk up with smiles to give a shout-out, share a story, and let him know how much his efforts mean to them.

SCENE: “Goodnight, Everybody” (YouTube from sidewalk)

SCENE: ZD for Mayor (TV 35 video, parades, etc. Good Day L.A.)

SCENE: ZD & Schwarzenegger. Governor of California waves off security while getting coffee at Starbucks to listen to ZD tell him some exclusive details. Later that evening, person ZD was warning the Governor of, was arrested and plead guilty for the crimes I was warning Governor about.

SCENE:ZD with Governor, Mayor, Sheriff, District Attorney, County Supervisors, Councilmembers, and others where they talk to him and take pictures with him.

SCENE: While ZD is driving back from a council meeting (homeless, but still has a car) a teen-aged driver hits ZD and the car he was sleeping in, gets totaled. ZD now sleeping on sidewalks of L.A., with no car...and only the bus. And usually with no money to eat, let alone take the bus.

SCENE: ZD at 3am sleeping on the sidewalks of Los Angeles. Going to the council meetings, regularly. Then turning into a bipolar, sleep-deprived pumpkin after the early morning meetings and is left wandering the streets all day and night, trying to find a place to take a nap. Now on about 3 hours of sleep a day, still pushing as an activist, and not eating much...it’s becoming a very, very dark and paranoid situation, no matter how sunny the day.

SCENE: ZD walking in the middle of rush hour traffic on Lincoln Blvd, screaming into his cell phone, leaving messages on the councilman’s voice mail. Cars are honking and swerving around him.

SCENE: Hundreds of flashback memories of thousands and thousands of people stopping ZD to thank him with huge smiles on their faces.Many desperate to tell ZD their story on how the city is screwing them, destroying the quality of their life, hoping ZD will be moved by the issue, get involved and blast it on TV during the council meeting for attention and exposure.

SCENE: Nov 9, 2009. ZD sits in Federal Court as City of L.A. files a motion to have ZD’s lawsuit dismissed. Judge agrees to take case.

SCENE: ZD checking the Federal website for a status update, hundreds of times over the course of the year.

SCENE: Someone calls LAPD on ZD for fear he isn’t gonna make it through the hour due to his desperate messages on Twitter. Moments later, LAPD is banging on ZD’s apt door to see if he is worthy of a 5150 that he luckily convinced them was not needed.

SCENE: ZD walking down street on sunny day, barely able to keep from snapping at the park bench, but people still approaching ZD with warm and fuzzy greetings and being all happy and uptempo and introducing him to their friends. It makes ZD more bitter and bipolar. (So much recognition but contemplating easiest method of instant death, due to starvation and isolation/no commercial gig. Most people are multi-millionaires walking around with this level of intense, favorable, public recognition. )

SCENE: October 21, 2010, ZD checks the site, once again, as usual, expecting the same “last updated” date of November 9, 2009 to appear...only to be flabbergasted to see October 21, 2010 appear. (Double takes and squints ensue to be sure he is looking at the correct column.

SCENE: ZD calling the councilman to break the news to the city that the judge placed an injunction on the ordinance.

SCENE: ZD on phone with L.A. Times, L.A. Weekly and other media outlets giving quotes on judge’s decision, ruling in ZD’s favor.

SCENE: ZD on 19th floor of L.A.’s top civil rights law firm for a meeting where they agree to take his case. A HUGE GAUNTLET THROWN DOWN ON THE CITY. This firm doesn’t take small cases.

SCENE: ZD back on the boardwalk singing, like the old days, but it quickly degenerates into a cuss-filled, screaming 1st Amendment rant.

SCENE: LAPD surrounding ZD trying to get him to quiet down. But now, with this ruling, and the city’s most powerful civil rights attorney representing him, the police have to be careful not to violate his rights and ZD continues to entertain the crowd who has never seen or heard anything like it as the police appear to be powerless over a madman screaming into a loud guitar amp. The police drive away defeated.

SCENE: Zuma Dogg in councilman’s office with attorney discussing, “what’s next?” (Settlement or trial.)

SCENE: NOVEMBER 19, 2010 is where the story picks up and continues as ZD awaits a meeting in early December, when the city has their first official discussion as to what they can do now regarding enforcement of the boardwalk and whether to settle with ZD or take it to trial.

NOTE: Collective/cosmic consciousness, karma, mind/body/spirit principals all in play here as ZD gets a daily, “Groundhog’s Day” lesson on quantum physics. It’s a magnet force that ends up dragging him to “one more council meeting,” before dropping, forever. It’s four and half years later (ten years since the debut of “The Zuma Dogg Show” on public access cable -- and somehow, miraculously, he’s still standing and 20% less bipolar (and no longer a daily threat to himself) thanks to free county prescription medication.

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