LOS ANGELES ( CNN ) -- The man whose investigation of President Clinton provided reams of tabloid fodder is now working to help crack down on photographers working for the very publications his efforts once filled . Photographers surround singer Britney Spears ' car in Los Angeles , California , in October . Kenneth Starr -- the independent counsel whose open-ended investigation of a Clinton land deal veered into an intimately detailed report on the president 's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky -- is helping California lawmakers craft laws to crack down on celebrity-hunting packs of paparazzi . Malibu Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich contacted Starr , now a law school dean at Pepperdine University in Malibu . Local governments in Los Angeles and West Hollywood are also part of the effort to curb what they call a dangerous and expensive problem . `` Just imagine you 're a motorist driving down the street and Britney Spears parks next to you ; all of a sudden you 're swarmed by these people , '' Los Angeles city Councilman Dennis Zine said . `` They 've got cameras ; they 're jumping on the hood of my car . `` You do n't know if you 're getting carjacked . You do n't know what 's happening . '' The idea of a `` safe zone '' around celebrities has been kicked around by L.A.-area lawmakers for years . The push became more intense in the wake of multiple mob scenes around pop star Spears last year , including a virtual siege of her Studio City , California , home and similar scenes during her trips to hospitals . Starr has been in contact with the officials but is `` not ready to publicly comment '' on any plan he may have , according to a Pepperdine spokesperson . Lawmakers have set no timetable for when they 'd like to have laws drafted . Police Chief William J. Bratton has argued that there 's no need for new laws to deal with the problem . But Zine and others argue that police resources are stretched thin by the current state of things , citing $ 25,000 shelled out last year for a police escort for Spears . To some , Starr -- the man vilified by liberals for a lengthy and costly Clinton investigation that turned up Clinton 's personal foibles but no major wrongdoing in the Whitewater land deals -- seems an odd partner for politicians in the notoriously left-leaning Los Angeles area . `` The irony is that he was so criticized , so vilified by Hollywood liberals 10 years ago during the Monica Lewinsky impeachment saga , '' said David Mark , a senior editor at Politico . `` Now he 's kind of aligned himself with a lot of Malibu residents who probably disagree with him politically . '' But Zine , who has been a prime backer of laws curbing the `` Pap Packs , '' said Starr 's expertise will be valuable as lawmakers try to strike a balance between public safety and First Amendment freedom of the press concerns . `` I have a lot of respect for Ken Starr , '' Zine said . `` We do n't want to violate any rules . We do n't want to violate the Constitution . `` We believe that the Constitution needs to be upheld [ but ] at the same time , we need to protect our celebrities . '' CNN 's Carol Costello contributed to this report .
Southern California governments band together to fight celebrity chasers . Malibu mayor asked for former independent counsel 's help drafting law . Los Angeles police chief says no new laws are needed . Some officials say situation is stretching police resources thin .