Los Angeles Times (01.03.12) - Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Today in front of the Van Nuys office of Los Angeles County
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
will kick off a petition drive asking county voters to mandate
condom use in the pornography industry.
The ballot measure would "require producers of adult films to
obtain a public health permit from the Los Angeles County
Department of Public Health and pay a permit fee" to fund
enforcement; it is modeled after health permit requirements
for tattoo shops, massage parlors, and bathhouses. AHF
qualified a similar measure for the city's June ballot;
however, it faces a legal challenge.
AHF President Michael Weinstein said the county Board of
Supervisors has "steadfastly refused" to protect porn
performers by taking action against producers who do not use
condoms in filming. "The county has a primary responsibility
of protecting the public health," he said. "So we will take it
to the voters."
Yaroslavsky's district includes the San Fernando Valley, home
to the multibillion-dollar porn industry. Last February, the
supervisor said the state, not the county, is responsible for
acting to protect adult film performers. If law enforcement is
empowered to conduct sting operations, "all you've got to do
is make one or two arrests and the rest of the ... industry
will understand pretty quickly that there's a risk."
But Weinstein pointed out the county's role in protecting
workers from other occupational health hazards. He noted fire
departments supervise film crews using pyrotechnics, and
workers building skyscrapers are required to wear safety
harnesses.
To qualify for the November 2012 election, more than 200,000
signatures will be needed by June 5.