Porn Stars Lobby Against Zoning

A bevy of adult porn stars, under the banner of the Free Speech Coalition, appeared at the California State Capitol Building on Tuesday (June 23) to lobby against a bill they said would create an adult ghetto for businesses like strip clubs, porn theaters and video stores. They carried bouquets of inflated condoms as they protested a bill that would allow cities or counties to decide together where adult entertainment businesses could be located. The bouquets were a symbol that marked the recent decision of major porn producers to have actors wear condoms during scenes with penetration.\n Gloria Leonard, president of the coalition, a trade association for the adult industry, said it could make Californians travel long distances to find adult entertainment and threaten the adult industry, which generates $4 billion in revenue annually.\n The bill is intended only to protect children from being exposed to sexually-oriented businesses, said Martin Gallegos, the Democrat who sponsored it. In his district, a nude dance club opened just across the street from private homes because the city limit boundary ran right down the street.\n Current law allows cities and counties to regulate adult businesses within their boundaries. The new law would allow cities and counties to regulate these businesses in conjunction with other cities and counties.\n That would allow "cities and counties to join together to place adult businesses in a remote zone anywhere in the state," Leonard said.