LOS ANGELES—The No to Government Waste Committee, a newly-founded coalition of business organizations, entertainment companies, community activists and healthcare advocates, today launched a campaign aimed at defeating Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Los Angeles County ballot going to polls Nov. 6.
“Measure B is a waste of taxpayer dollars, does nothing to promote better healthcare and threatens to add increased costs to the county by creating another underfunded government program,” Committee spokesman James Lee said. “Measure B will result in deficits threatening community clinics and healthcare services to the poor and minority communities of Los Angeles County.”
Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), would require the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in unincorporated areas of the county and create what the Committee calls an "unworkable" system of on-set inspections by county personnel to enforce the use of condoms by performers. The measure hopes to fund the program through permitting fees, but makes no allowance should funds prove insufficient to maintain the program, the Committee says.
“The adult entertainment industry has the most aggressive and comprehensive testing and reporting program in the country. It’s an industry that acts swiftly and responsibly in shutting down production nationwide at even a hint of a positive test result,” Lee said. “What this is really about is creating another government bureaucracy regardless of what it means for county healthcare services and driving production-related jobs out of an area with stagnant job growth.”
According to Committee data, the program could start losing money from its launch, since Los Angeles County estimates the initial start-up costs for the inspection and permitting program would come to more than $300,000 per year in administration, salary and benefits for county inspectors, while Film LA, Inc., the film-permitting arm for Los Angeles County, estimates there are less than 480 permits issued for all adult shoots.
Measure B also stipulates standards for conduct on sets during shooting that could require actors and crew to wear gloves, goggles and lab coats.
“The people of Los Angeles County can think of a lot better uses for the time of first responders, county health inspectors and other government personnel than hanging around an adult film shoot checking for condom usage,” Lee said. “Measure B is seriously flawed and is going to cost taxpayers money and cost them critical health services.”
Added Free Speech Coalition CEO Diane Duke, a No on Government Waste Committee member, "There is a clear path to win this campaign. The key will be to educate voters about the harm to performers and the taxpayer expense that comes with this flawed measure."
With its announcement of this campaign, the Committee issued the following statistics about the adult entertainment industry:
• In Los Angeles County from June 30, 2008 to June 30, 2011, there were 6,447 new cases of HIV reported according to the California Dept. of Public Health, but only two were adult performers who did not contract it on-set.
• There have been no documented cases of HIV transmission on an adult entertainment set since 2004.
• The industry sets testing standards far in excess of virtually any other industry such as local hospitals, pharmaceutical firms or food service. It is also the only industry that orders industry-wide shutdowns of production whenever a threat to performers exists.
• The industry employs over 10,000 workers in production-related jobs such as make-up, lighting, carpenters, transportation, food service, payroll processing, web design, etc., all of which would be in jeopardy should Measure B pass.
• The industry contributes over $1 billion dollars in local economic impact and tax revenues to local cities and the county that would also be in jeopardy.
The No to Government Waste Committee plans to soon launch an online program providing additional information to interested voters.
