April 16, 2013 | The Biz

LA County's condom law flops

The plan to make LA County porn shoots safer doesn't seem to be working very well. 

Measure B, passed last November, was designed to protect sex workers by making condom use mandatory in all adult productions. The cost of filming permits was increased, with the additional revenue to be used to cover the cost of industry inspectors.

However, requests for filming permits for porn shoots have dramatically fallen. Last year, 500 permits were issued; this year, only 2 have been requested. 

A major reason is the patchwork of jurisdictions in L.A. County. While Measure B took effect immediately in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and in the city of Los Angeles, there are still 85 cities that contract with the county's health department where the implementation has not yet been determined. And the law does not apply to Pasadena, Long Beach or Vernon because those cities have their own municipal health departments.

Many producers have moved into neighboring areas, something they threatened to do when the issue was being debated last year.

"Most production companies have ceased shooting in LA County. They have other options in other states and communities," said Diane Duke, the spokeswoman for an adult film industry advocacy group.

These other cities are now being forced to consider their own regulations concerning adult film production. The city council for Camarillo, just northwest of Los Angeles, was not prepared for the increase in permit requests from porn companies, and issued a 45-day moratorium on all porn productions in the area to determine if new laws were required.

"All I can say is a number of inquiries led us to be concerned that we should look at this and decide if this is something we want to do," explained assistant city attorney Don Davis.

"I don't know a community in Los Angeles that is looking forward to becoming home to the porn industry,"  Fred MacFarlane, a spokesman for Vernon, just south of L.A., added. "I think everybody recognizes it's a revenue generator, but it's not something we want."

So, as predicted, the condom law has merely had the effect of chasing porn companies out of one jurisdiction into others.     

Filings for Porn Shoot Permits in L.A. County Disappearing [Xbiz]

Porn film permits drop dramatically in Los Angeles because of new law that requires performers to wear condoms [Daily Mail]