Council overrides Anderson's veto

The Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday overrode Mayor Rocky Anderson's veto of the city's recently passed street artist ordinance, which the city attorney considers unconstitutional.

Anderson had rejected the ordinance because City Attorney Ed Rutan raised questions about whether the ordinance would pass legal challenge. In some cases the ordinance's ban on street art sales within 150 feet of an established event, like the Farmers Market or Utah Arts Festival, might be an unconstitutional restriction on free speech, Rutan wrote in a letter to Anderson.

Given Rutan's opinion, then, Anderson vetoed the ordinance, which the mayor accepts but didn't want to sign if unconstitutional.

But instead of repealing the ordinance, which allows street art sales in the city's major commercial districts, the council overrode the veto and again passed the ordinance unanimously. The council did say that during its next meeting, next Tuesday, it will take another look at the law to see if it needs to amend the 150-foot provision.