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By Conor Shine (contact) 
Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
A new voter-approved law requiring Southern California porn performers to wear condoms while filming sex scenes could be a boon for the adult film industry in Las Vegas.
On Tuesday, voters in Los Angeles County — which includes the San Fernando Valley, the center of the adult film industry — approved Measure B by a 12-point margin. The measure requires film producers to obtain permits from the county Department of Health and to ensure performers wear condoms during sex scenes.
The adult film industry fiercely opposed the proposal, arguing consumers weren’t interested in watching sex scenes with condoms and that testing policies already in place effectively prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
The industry also has threatened to move elsewhere if the condom requirement is enforced.
“It’s fair to say that many production companies are closely looking at shifting production out of Los Angeles County right now,” said James Lee, spokesman for the No on Government Waste Committee, which opposed the measure.
Lee was quick to warn that a move was not imminent. Already, a legal challenge to the new measure is being planned and details of how the law will be enforced still are being sorted out.
The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, scheduled a daylong “summit” Thursday in Hollywood to discuss the latest developments regarding Measure B.
If the measure stands, requiring actors to wear condoms would put Los Angeles-based adult-film companies at a disadvantage, Lee said, prompting them to look elsewhere, including Las Vegas.
“I think Las Vegas already has a history with the adult entertainment industry and it has close proximity to where they’re already based in Los Angeles,” he said. “Any consideration of alternatives of where to move is going to have to include Las Vegas.”
Steven Hirsch, founder of the adult-oriented Vivid Entertainment Group, told Bloomberg News that he expected some producers to begin filming in Las Vegas, which already is home to several porn production companies, including industry heavyweight Brazzers, and scenes are regularly shot throughout the valley.
Las Vegas offers a number of appealing benefits to companies looking to relocate, including cheap real estate, less regulation and a sex-friendly culture, said attorney Clyde Dewitt, who represents porn production companies and has offices in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
“If you compare the business environment in Las Vegas to the one in Los Angeles, it’s so much more favorable in Las Vegas,” he said. “Companies are already shooting in Las Vegas. They do it all the time.”
Supporters of Measure B, led by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, argued the measure would help stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Nevada wants business to re-locate to our state yes? Boo ya.....
:-)
I love this idea....please happen.
Ya just gotta love it don't ya? Up the Taxes on an industry that has made California, make them wear a condom...oh, move to Vegas. Who is the "inspector"?
I am very surprised this initiative passed. Why does the average "Joe" really care what this industry does? Sure it is all about safer sex, but the industry already has a half way decent record of preventing the spread of disease.
I think this was a wink-wink way of getting this undesirable business out of Los Angeles without explicitly banning it. Unfortunately, if these companies insist on continuing to film in LA, the taxpayer will be forced to pony up the bill for inspectors and more bureaucrats. Either way, this is a losing situation for the county and one that they should've just left alone.
@David 6:15 a.m.
Not awake yet, but your comment was a riot! Loved it; too funny. Thank you for the laugh first thing in the morning.
Wonderful new demographic coming into town. I know it's a generalization, but I personally don't want more uneducated drug addicts to move here. Not quite the "diversification" I was hoping to see.
But I understand that Vegas is what it is, we're just going to continue to have to deal with economic rollercoasters, and parents are going to continue to have to battle the culture in the town if they want to raise kids that aren't willing to whore themselves out for a quick buck.
O.K. I hope this doesn't get removed but here goes, See if you think this is funny on the way the story was written.
1.12-point margin
2.Lee was quick
3.are already shooting in Las Vegas.
4.They do it all the time.
It's not Las Vegas' problem that California has become very business unfriendly! The lawmakers there just want to appease the lowlifes who depend on the out of control social programs in that state!
Potential tip of the iceberg. Vegas is a natural alternative for ANY small or start-up business currently located in SoCal, Reno the alternative for the Bay Area. CA taxes & regulation are going way up, the quality of life outside the high end gated communities isn't any better than NV's and is going downhill (we seem to have leveled off). Keep our taxes and regulatory burdens low; reform our educational system to focus on verifiable student achievement; insure our transportation & communication infrastructure is top notch; and market, market, market! (Bring back Oscar and the show girls to get attention, then send in marketing teams.)
By all means, bring venereal disease to Nevada and throw safe-sex to the wind! Contagions be damned! While we're at it, maybe we should get rid of that nanny-state rule about food handlers washing their hands. After all, singing Happy Birthday twice uses up a chunk of time...
We should consider abandoning our hackneyed motto, borrowed from The Green Mile. Disease in Nevada's sex industry means that whatever happens in Nevada, most assuredly does not stay in Nevada. This is a public health issue.
As if this sordid industry requires encouragement, government agencies, adhering to Nevada's any-business-is-good-business philosophy, will forfeit public wealth to subsidize this industry -- without any vote of the taxpayers. Californians are smarter than us.
Next thing you know they will have a ballot measure requiring me to wear a condom in my own bedroom with my own partner. Why is this the governments business.
Love the comments here. I have not laughed this much in a long time. I am keeping these comments and when I need a good laugh, I will read them again.
For those going nuts that the "government" is intruding on this issue need to learn to read.
This was a voter-approved law. Your brothers and sisters in common are the ones stepping into the personal issues of others here.
They have been filming in Vegas for over 20 years now. The people of California just gave this industry more reasons to move out of their fine state and build their industry elsewhere.
John Waldrip Nov. 9, 2012 8:03 a.m.
COMMENTED:
It's not Las Vegas' problem that California has become very business unfriendly!
***************************
After wiping the tears from laughter, if I can stop laughing long enough I would like to ask you a question. So you think California has become very business unfriendly because porn stars have to wear condoms?
ONe thing is for sure...The condom-less porn industry has killed more people than legalized marijuana...Something like 30 to 0 if you include the gay producers going back to 1982.
Next case please
yes to the porn industry no to no condom. The public health department has enough to do. A number of porn "actresses" have got aids. Why not just photoshop the condom out of the movie? The MGM nude show had merkins, there is a lot you can do to give the impression of something if your are creative.
Sun should follow up by calling Nevada health officials
the sunsets in Las Vegas are beautiful this time of year.
"For those going nuts that the "government" is intruding on this issue need to learn to read. This was a voter-approved law. Your brothers and sisters in common are the ones stepping into the personal issues of others here."
vegaslee -- just because voters approved it doesn't mean for a second it's not government intrusion. Otherwise Jim Crow would still be the law of the land and the religious right would dominate with their notion America must be ruled by biblical principles. You know, a theocracy. As for who's not reading, I suggest you begin with the Bill of Rights. That new law could very well invoke privacy and freedom of contract rights.
"Where rights secured by the Constitution are involved, there can be no rulemaking or legislation which would abrogate them." -- Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 491 (1966)
CONDOMS ARE SEXY! WEAR THEM!
Like almost everything I voted for on Tuesday, I voted against the tide. As a conservative California voter, I know I am in the minority in CA.
And it was as a conservative that I voted NO against this LA County initiative. Why? Because I saw no need for government to intrude in private enterprise. If porn stars want to play dangerously then let them go at it.
The only reason this appeared on the ballot was because the LA County Commissioners were unable or unwilling to pass "controversial" regulations in LA County. It's almost like here in Clark County with our commissioners unable to get proper laws to regulate the porn-slappers on the Strip.
I am not sure if the filming will move out of state or not. I am sure that the distribution and business end will or would stay in the San Fernando Valley. There is talk here in LA that the filming may move to cities such as Pasadena and Long Beach, which aren't covered under the new law since they have their own health departments. Who knows? But even if they did move to Vegas, it would only be the filming and from my understanding a lot of filming already takes place here, so what would change?
So are they going to make EVERYBODY that has sex wear condoms in California now, not just porn stars? I know for a fact that porn stars have to have regular testing and show the results BEFORE shooting a scene, can you say that about regular people that have sex? No..didn't think so..rediculous!
Just Groovy!
Groovy would be a corduroy condom.
Comment removed by moderator. Inappropriate
Casino kid, THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!
I think the govt should stay out of people's sex lives, whether there are cameras present or not. I see this one getting struck down by the courts.
cant wait !!!! where do i sign up as a porn extra . man the chance to maybe work with an asian lady from maybe ca. or las vegas . maybe an asian woman from spearmint rhino . how do i get a job as an inspector like dave said .
who cares, it's vegas. trashy women are par for the course here.
Eeeew you mean they weren't using them before? Sorry- not into the whole porn thing. This sounds like another myob law has passed. Sad, really.
Comment removed by moderator. Inappropriate
There is increasing more industrial space empty in the Las Vegas, so it could be available for a whole new Las Vegas Porn Industry. The inevitable prudish zoning questions will come up, is this video production or adult entertainment? It is good for real estate, economic development, job creation. It will create a whole new market sector virtually overnight. But bringing 10,000+ sexy jobs to Las Vegas would be great. Think of all the extra voluptuous, insatiable young woman and muscular, tattooed, well endowed young men with remarkable prowess walking around our grocery stores and Starbucks, oh what that will add to our cultural landscape. I love this, hire the realtors, pack the trucks and RV's and head East porn. Head East!
Heeyyyyyy, why not porn ? We have the smut peddlers that the County Comissioners can't seem to get off the sidewalks on the strip, maybe they can shoot porn on the sidewalks too.