LOS ANGELES—Despite the fact that the fate of a local industry pretty much hangs in the balance, the Los Angeles Office of the City Administrator failed to issue a public announcement saying it has scheduled a meeting for this Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., when a draft report put together by the Working Group assigned to design an enforcement mechanism for the city's mandatory condom ordinance will be presented for "review and approval."
Surprise!
The meeting is listed in the City Meetings and Agendas page on the city website under a vague description—"CAO: Adult Firm (sic) Industry Working Group Agenda - 2012-04-18"—that fails to describe the meeting's actual agenda. You have to click on the link to find that out, but it's safe to say no one outside the Working Group, and certainly no one in the adult entertainment industry, would have noticed the item had it not been brought it to the attention of the Free Speech Coalition, whose executive director, Diane Duke, said she will attend.
"The City of L.A. has backed itself into a corner by passing a law for which there is no need, in a closed session, in order to avoid a $4.4 million ballot expenditure," said Duke. "Now the city has a law that it can't figure out how to implement with money it doesn't have. It is not surprising to me that they do what they can to keep their implementation work group meetings hidden. FSC found out about the 'open' meeting and plans to attend."
Needless to say, the Working Group—which reportedly include representatives from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, City Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles Police Department and Personnel Department—did not contain any representation from the industry it intends to regulate.
Still, details of the mechanism by which the city plans to enforce the mandatory condom law is something anyone who produces adult content in Los Angeles should be interested in learning about and possibly commenting upon.
For those who would like to attend the meeting, all of the relevant information is below:
Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Ordinance Working Group
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Office of the City Administrative Officer
200 N. Main Street
15th Floor Conference Room
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Agenda
1. Introductions
2. Approval of March 1, 2012 meeting minutes
3. The City Administrative Officer to present for review and approval the working group's draft report with recommendations to the Mayor and Council relative to the ordinance requiring condom usage in the Adult Film Industry.
4. Next Steps
5. General Public Comments
