In Santa Cruz, California, street performer Cory McDonald, while wearing a clown costume (complete with big red nose) in his role as "Mr. Twister," was ticketed for "unauthorized deposit of coins" after a metermaid spotted him slipping coins into a stranger's meter. "I was just being nice to people," said McDonald, adding that he wouldn't pay the $13 ticket and "no matter what they do to me, I'm never going to stop." The clown got a lawyer, Ben Rice, to take his case for free, on a "pro-Bozo" basis. They planned to fight the citation and start a campaign to change the law, complete with "Free Mr. Twister" postcards and bumper stickers requesting, "Mr. Twister Feed My Meter." Facing adverse national publicity, City Manager Richard Wilson asked the court to dismiss the infraction against Mr. Twister, and also sought to repeal the law. "The intent of our ordinance isn't to punish clowns," Wilson said.

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