Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Condoms In Porn Ballot Initiative Will Go to L.A. Voters in June
Photo by mathom via Shutterstock
()
Should adult performers be made to wear condoms in their films? The decision is going to be in your hands come June, after a signature-gathering effort secured the initiative a spot on the June ballot.
Los Angeles City Clerk June Lagmay confirmed December 23 that the condoms in porn ballot initiative, called the City of Los Angeles Safer Sex In The Adult Film Industry Act, has qualified for the ballot.
The ballot initiative campaign is backed by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), who secured nearly twice as many signatures as needed.
However, it's not a clear-cut victory. Earlier this month, L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich filed suit against the initiative, claiming the measure is unnecessary and will waste taxpayer money.
Support for LAist comes from
While state laws already exist mandating workplace safety, as stated in the City Attorney's lawsuit, AHF spokesman Ged Kenslea says these laws are not enforced. "Trutanich argued that only the state — not the city — could legally impose rules requiring the use of condoms on porn sets and charging fees to pay for inspections," notes the L.A. Times.
But Trutanich doesn't exactly have the state's support in this case. The head of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, thinks L.A. can take on this mandate just fine:
"We don't see a bar to the city or the county doing what they need to do," Widess said in a telephone interview Monday evening. "We believe the city can use its authority to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among people involved in the adult film industry."
The City Attorney's Office will present a judge with a request for an expedited ruling schedule Thursday and hopes to have an opinion on the suit against the initiative by late January, reports City News Service.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist