LA Times Comes Out Against Condoms in Porn

From the LA Times:

Measure B is well intentioned, but it is likely to stymie county government and bring little benefit to performers. The Times recommends a no vote.

It's a close call. Not every argument put forward by either the AIDS Healthcare Foundation or the pornography industry can be accepted at face value. Producers and performers argue, for example, that the ordinance is unnecessary because they have mastered the problem of sexually transmitted disease in the industry with a rigorous program of testing. They say that the stable of adult performers is not much bigger than a typical high school graduating class, that they all know one another and are accountable to one another and that few, if any, "date" outside their industry.

But even if those performers would benefit from further protection, they're unlikely to get it from Measure B. Some larger, more established companies would probably obey the new rules, but others would undoubtedly ignore them. Off-the-books shoots would continue, with producers naming their companies, hiring crew and performers, erecting sets, concluding filming and reorganizing for the next shoot under a new name long before county health officials learn of a production that needs a permit or a set that needs inspection. If government already can't keep track of these productions, it is hard to imagine how it would enforce a permit and condom requirement. Under-the-radar productions would remain under the radar instead of being incorporated into the testing regimen of more established production companies, while those bigger companies - if their executives are to be believed - would be more likely to flee to unregulated counties, states and nations.

And if they flee - should we care?...

Yet we should care, not necessarily because porn should be embraced but rather because it is an integral part of the entertainment industry that represents many jobs and a large part of the Southern California economy. Even if there are only a few hundred on-camera performers, porn is estimated to be a $1-billion to $2-billion industry, employing thousands of sound, lighting, stage, technical and other crew members and post-production workers in between gigs in more-mainstream film and television productions.