First Women’s Group to Openly Call for Defeat of Measure B

Joining an ever-growing list of opposition from area newspapers to business groups and citing government overreach and need to focus on real issues, the Los Angeles County Federation of Republican Women, representing 35 local chapters with over 3,000 members today announced its opposition to Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Nov. 6^th ballot, said the No on Government Waste Committee.

“We are gratified to have the support of so many women who joined in the effort to defeat this poorly-conceived, badly-drafted and useless ballot measure that will do nothing to improve public health, but grow government and cost taxpayers,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “The Federation of Republican Women recognized, as we have long said, that Measure B is a classic example of government overreach and wrongly focuses attention away from the very real problems facing the County.”

The Los Angeles County Federation of Republican Women joins the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News and four other local newspapers, 23 local area chambers of commerce and the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, the largest business group in the San Fernando Valley, in announcing their opposition to Measure B.

“Not even the adult entertainment industry is safe from the over-reaching arm of government pilfering. Measure B is a pathetic attempt by a desperate county government to extort money from taxpayers to fund a laughable regulatory branch of county government,” said Claudia J. Morgan-Andrade, president of the San Fernando Valley Federation of Republican Women. “Measure B means more government employee wages and pensions to police a mandate that will result in yet another industry seeking fiscal reprieve in a region less punitive to business.  Los Angeles County will lose yet another tax base while increasing our debt to government employee salary and pensions.”

Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would require the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in the county and require performers to wear condoms and create an unworkable system of on-set inspections and enforcement by county personnel. The county estimates initial start-up costs for the program to be in excess of $300,000, but acknowledges that regardless of the level of compliance by the adult film industry, there would be significant cost to the Department of Public Health.

“This is the same county who’s Children & Family Service Division, with an annual budget of $1.8 billion, where 72 children have died in the last four years, 80 percent of emancipating youth do not have a high school diploma or GED, 40 percent of those ends up homeless and government workers retire with 80 percent of their salary. This is why the Republican Women Federated says ‘No to Measure B’,” Morgan-Andrade added.

According to the California Dept. of Public Health, from June 30, 2008 to June 30, 2011, there were 6,447 new cases of HIV reported in Los Angeles County, but only two were adult performers who did not contract the disease on-set. Since 2004, there have been no documented cases of HIV transmission on an adult entertainment set.  In fact, with the industry’s strict testing protocols – requiring testing at least every 28 days for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis – adult performers are the most tested workforce in the nation.

No on Government Waste Committee

The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and underserved minority communities. For more information, please visit: www.noongovernmentwaste.com.

The inaugural Free Speech Coalition Summit, a one-day event produced by XBIZ Magazine, will feature a slate of panels covering hot business topics, of interest to adult industry professionals, on the heels of a turbulent election season.

“We are so excited to be able to present this one-day show, and to address important business topics at this turbulent time for our business and the nation,” Free Speech Coalition (FSC) CEO Diane Duke. “We hear, everyday, from industry members that are looking for ideas and advice on what they need to do to stay in the game. This show has an unprecedented line-up of leaders that will speak from an historic perspective, as well as cover current issues relevant in today’s business environment.”

The Hot Seat Panel will deliver opinions on today’s legal issues from the perspective of leading industry attorneys, including Paul Cambria, Lou Sirkin, Michael Murray, and Marc Randazza, moderated by attorney and FSC Board Chair Jeffrey Douglas. With panelists that represent the biggest names in the adult industry and fight the good fight on important cases including 2257, piracy and obscenity, this discussion is sure to spark fireworks for Summit attendees.

The last seminar of the day, entitled “If I Knew Then What I Know Now,” will highlight some of the first in industry innovation, including Video Secret’s Greg Clayman, AVN Founder Paul Fishbein, Cal-Exotic’s Sue Colvin, Wicked Pictures’ Steve Orenstein, XBIZ’s Alec Helmy, and Vivid Entertainment’s Steve Hirsch. Find out, from these esteemed professionals, what strategies and tactics have helped build success for their companies – as well as, what they would do over, if they had the chance.

“This show is scheduled for two days after the election; it will be a time when a lot of us will be anxious to look at the election results and how they will affect the industry,” Duke added. “It’s a great time for professionals from every industry segment to get together and talk about the short-term and long-reaching strategies.”

Attendance to the show is free, due to the generosity of show sponsors, including California Exotic Novelties, Manwin, CCBill, Wicked Pictures, Girlfriend Films, Adam & Eve, Video Secrets and The Screaming O.

The FSC Summit is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 8, beginning at 10am. The show will be located at the Sofitel Hotel in West Hollywood, CA. For more information or to register, please visit the FSC Summit webpage or call (818) 348-9373.

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) is heartened by a significant development today as both the L.A. Times and the Daily News newspapers have endorsed the No on Measure B campaign.

“The L.A. Times and the Daily News reach one million readers in L.A. County. Having the endorsement of these and several other local publications sends a clear recommendation to voters to vote no on Measure B,” said FSC CEO Diane Duke.

“We are very grateful to the industry members and experts that stepped up to meet with these publications as spokespeople for the local adult production industry,” Duke added.

Industry members, experts and local representatives that met with the Daily News editorial board include performers Steven St Croix, Kayden Cross, Wicked Pictures owner Steve Orenstein, Cutting Edge Testing’s Dr. Peter Miao, Valley Industries and Commerce Association (VICA) President Stuart Waldman, and No On Measure B Media Director James Lee, as well as FSC’s Duke.

Additionally, the meeting with the L.A. Times editorial board was attended by performer Nina Hartley, Vivid Entertainment founder Steve Hirsch, VICA President Stuart Waldman, attorney and FSC chair Jeffrey Douglas, FSC’s Duke, and No on Measure B’s Lee.

“FSC wants to thank everyone that helped to represent the adult industry at the meetings with these important publications,” Duke continued. “Because we were able to explain the industry’s concerns and the serious flaws with Measure B, we have gained these important endorsements. Thank you!”

Measure B, the Los Angeles “Safer Sex” initiative, requires adult performers to use condoms and other forms of barrier protection on production sets and – if passed – would force County officials to implement elaborate enforcement protocols with a new County agency for adult production inspection. FSC and the adult industry stand in opposition to this flawed scheme, citing cost to L.A. taxpayers and warning that Measure B would drive the adult production industry from the Los Angeles area.

To learn more about the opposition to Measure B, visit NoOnGovernmentWaste.com. Industry members should contact FSC at (818) 348-9373 or info@freespeechcoalition.com, if they would like to learn more about how they can help to defeat Measure B.

Editorials Both Cite Measure B’s Potential Negative Economic Impact and Ineffectiveness

With a combined circulation of just over one million people, the No on Government Waste Committee applauded editorials in both the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News opposing Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Nov. 6^th ballot in Los Angeles County, which cited its potential for causing the loss of 10,000 jobs and $1 billion in tax revenue and economic activity with little or no benefit to public health and safety.

“The two largest newspapers in the county looked at every aspect of Measure B and carefully examined both sides arguments and arrived at the same conclusion: Voters must reject Measure B and vote no,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “We are deeply gratified that both newspapers looked at all the issues and carefully weighed them and realized that this is much more than simply using condoms. It’s about public health, government effectiveness and economic impact.”

The Times in its editorial cited the potential economic costs, as well as the potential for an unworkable and unenforceable government program of inspections and permitting.

“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,” The Times said.

“Measure B then falls into the category of ‘Let’s pass it and see what happens.’ That’s a bad way to make law because it puts government, or voters, on a track toward regulating all kinds of conduct without any hope of enforcing the requirements fairly and equally, and that in turn undermines the power of government.” The Times concluded.

In the Daily News editorial, the newspaper also cited the economic impacts, but also agreed with the industry’s contention that the risk to public health was minimal when compared to the general population.

“In fact, an infectious disease specialist who works with the adult film industry says performers have lower infection risks. Dr. Peter Miao says that’s because porn producers require performers to be tested at least once a month, and the industry responds to any performer’s positive test by voluntarily shutting down production until they’re sure the infection is contained,” The Daily News said.

“The porn industry claims to have a relatively safe record: It says nobody has contracted HIV on a porn movie set in the United States since 2004. Closer to home, another number may change the minds of those who picture porn performers representing a sizable population whose sex activity poses a public health risk worthy of county officials’ attention: The adult film industry’s trade association says that despite the image of Southern California and the San Fernando Valley in particular as the porn capital of the world, only 280 porn performers actually live in L.A. County year-round,” The Daily News added.

The Times and Daily News join a growing list of business groups, community organizations, political parties, women’s groups and health advocates in opposing Measure B. The editorials were also carried in the Torrance Daily Breeze and Long Beach Press Telegram newspapers.

No on Government Waste Committee

The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and underserved minority communities. For more information, please visit: www.noongovernmentwaste.com.

Costly Campaign for Measure B Ignores Real HIV Health Threats in LA County

Recent campaign finance disclosure reports show that the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has already spent over $1.6 million on its efforts to pass Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Nov. 6^thballot in Los Angeles County, in addition to another estimated $2.5 million spent to pass a similar proposal at the City of Los Angeles, funds that could have been better spent combating HIV in underserved parts of the County according to the No on Government Waste Committee.

“It’s astonishing to think of what $4 million could have been better spent on than this initiative in combating the real problem areas of HIV and healthcare,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “That money could have paid for the entire state of the art testing program for the adult film industry for three years for example.”

The No on Government Waste Committee examined the most recent campaign disclosure forms filed by the Yes on B campaign and found that it had raised $1,643,467.20 to date with all of the money coming from a single donor: The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, with expenditures of $1,638,044.76.

“In comparison, we have been effectively outspent by a ratio of 14 to 1 and yet, voters, business groups and community organizations are flocking to urge ‘No’ votes because they see how ineffective and useless Measure B will be,” Lee said. “With funding coming from just one source, voters have to ask tough questions about what other uses those funds could have been put to.”

In addition to the $1.6 million already spent by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, it had previously spent an estimated $2.5 million to push this measure at the City of Los Angeles, as well as qualify it for the LA County ballot through paid petition signature gatherers.

Using the AHF’s own calculations, the No on Government Waste Committee estimated that the $4 million spent by AHF could have also been used to:

• Build a community clinic in a primarily impoverished African-American neighborhood where the population of those at highest-risk for HIV infection lives according to the Los Angeles County Dept. for Public Health. AHF currently only operates one healthcare center in a predominately African-American neighborhood, but operates three in predominately white, more affluent neighborhoods;
• Train 8,000 physicians in the provision of HIV/AIDS medical care;
• Support outreach in African-American and Spanish-language newspapers and media for an entire year to urge more testing for young, minority, gay males at highest-risk for infection;
• Pay for HIV testing of over 3,300 people every month for an ENTIRE year;
• Provide HIV treatment and care for 20,000 patients for an ENTIRE year;
• Buy and operate two mobile clinics offering free HIV testing in underserved minority communities, as well as offer primary health check-ups for the uninsured.

“As a non-profit organization dedicated to combating the scourge of AIDS and HIV infection, voters have to question AHF’s obsession with porn when there are clearly so many more important and significant public health risks in our communities,” Lee added. “Voters have to question the priorities of AHF when passage of Measure B would divert significant County public health resources away from real health hazards and send County employees to film sets to watch porn shoots, instead of into our communities where they belong.”

According to the California Dept. of Public Health, from June 30, 2008 to June 30, 2011, there were 6,447 new cases of HIV reported in Los Angeles County, but only two were adult performers who did not contract the disease on-set. Since 2004, there have been no documented cases of HIV transmission on an adult entertainment set. In fact, with the industry’s strict testing protocols — requiring testing every 14 and 28 days for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis — adult performers are the most tested workforce in the nation.

Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would require the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in the county and require performers to wear condoms and create an unworkable system of on-set inspections and enforcement by county personnel. The county estimates initial start-up costs for the program to be in excess of $300,000, but acknowledges that regardless of the level of compliance by the adult film industry, there would be significant cost to the Department of Public Health.

No on Government Waste Committee
The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and underserved minority communities. For more information, please visit: www.noongovernmentwaste.com.

A detailed analysis of the adult entertainment industry’s medical testing database reveals only 280 performers live and work year-round in Los Angeles County and make up the bulk of scenes shot and subject to the provisions of Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Nov. 6^th ballot in Los Angeles County, dramatically underscoring the miniscule effect the measure would have with significant cost to county taxpayers, according to the No on Government Waste Committee.

“It’s mindboggling to think we are subjecting the voters of LA County to this ballot fight over 280 performers that are already subject to one of the most stringent sexually transmitted disease testing programs in the world,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “When you couple that with the over $4 million already spent by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in supporting this measure, you have to wonder what kind of porn obsession Michael Weinstein has and what it is taking away from the real threats of HIV.”

The Free Speech Coalition, the adult film industry’s trade association, analyzed the testing database of performers who undergo regular tests for HIV, chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea every 14 and 28 days, and determined there were a total of 1,266 performers nationwide with 280 living year-round in Los Angeles County, representing 22 percent of all adult performers. The database represents the vast majority of those affected by Measure B since Measure B would not impact productions, such as amateur shoots, that avoid county permitting or simply operate out of someone’s home.

“This points up the greatest failing of Measure B, which is that it’s practically unenforceable when you consider that productions and performers affiliated with the larger studios and production companies are simply going to move out of LA if Measure B passes,” Lee said. “What you would be left with are small, amateur productions that will not only evade permitting, but also avoid testing and thus put even more people at real risk.”

Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would require the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in the county and require performers to wear condoms and create an unworkable system of on-set inspections and enforcement by county personnel. The county estimates initial start-up costs for the program to be in excess of $300,000, but acknowledges that regardless of the level of compliance by the adult film industry, there would be significant cost to the Department of Public Health.

Lee reiterated that no adult performer has contracted HIV on set since 2004 and in the same period, 6,447 residents of Los Angeles County have contracted HIV, highlighting the need to focus on increased testing and detection in the general population where the real HIV threat is today.

“According to the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health’s own HIV risk assessment, the adult film industry wasn’t even mentioned as a potential high risk area, while the highest at-risk population in the County are young, African-American gay men, a population the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has chronically and shamefully underserved,” Lee added.

No on Government Waste Committee

The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and underserved minority communities. For more information, please visit: www.noongovernmentwaste.com.

In response to the Fair Political Practices Commission request for additional information, the No on Government Waste Committee, opponents to Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Nov. 6^thballot in Los Angeles County, sent additional information on the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s failure to properly disclose it paid actors in its advertisements.

“The FPPC has asked for additional information and we are providing it, including a signed contract agreement from one of the actors in AHF’s ad who asked for $10,000 in order to not appear in any Measure B advertisements,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “Before Michael Weinstein can jump for joy and declare himself free and clean from any campaign violation, we suggest he talk to his attorney about proper disclosure requirements.”

The No on Government Waste Committee received a response from Gary Winuk, chief of the enforcement division for the FPPC, asking for proof of the claims the Committee made in regards to paid spokesperson campaign violations.

In response, the Committee provided sworn declarations from individuals who had conversations with Derrick Burts, one of the actors in the Yes on B campaign advertisements, where he disclosed he was being paid for his appearances and was actively seeking $10,000 from the No on Government Waste Committee in order to not appear in the Yes on B advertisements.

“Mr. Burts signed an agreement to be paid $10,000, while acknowledging a counter-offer from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to appear in its advertisements,” Lee said. “Putting aside the disclosure violations, it’s clear that the only way Michael Weinstein can get someone to support his measure is to pay them and even then, they’re willing to sell out to a higher bidder.”

The No on Government Waste Committee never fully executed the agreement with Mr. Burts even though he had willingly signed the contract and desired to have the money paid to him quickly.

The original complaint alleged the television ad in question, which began airing September 17, 2012, featuring former adult industry performers Darren James and Derrick Burts violated:

• Paid Spokesperson Violations (Cal. Govt. Code Section 84511 and 2 CCR 18450.11) for failure to disclose the performers featured were paid for their appearance in the ad.

“While it may be commonplace to pay actors to appear in ads for things like erectile dysfunction, it’s not a common practice in politics where the strength of your message should be enough to entice people to support you,” Lee said. “The coalition against Measure B continues to grow daily as more voters come to realize what a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars this is and join our cause.”

Among the groups opposing Measure B include:

• Republican Party of Los Angeles County
• Libertarian Party of Los Angeles County
• Valley Industry and Commerce Association (largest business group in the San Fernando Valley)
• San Gabriel Valley Legislative Chambers of Commerce representing 15 chambers of commerce
• The Regional Chamber Alliance and Legislative Forum representing seven chambers of commerce

A complete list of endorsements is available at: www.noongovernmentwaste.com/about.html

Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would require the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in the county and require performers to wear condoms and create an unworkable system of on-set inspections and enforcement by county personnel. The county estimates initial start-up costs for the program to be in excess of $300,000, but acknowledges that regardless of the level of compliance by the adult film industry, there would be significant cost to the Department of Public Health.

No on Government Waste Committee

The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and underserved minority communities. For more information, please visit: www.noongovernmentwaste.com.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s latest billboard attack on the adult industry appears to be Michael Weinstein’s attempt at irony, but actually betrays his campaign’s real purpose – to attack adult entertainment, under the guise of “protecting performers.” Using the No ON Measure Blogo may seem like a provocative strategy on AHF’s part, but what it really shows is AHF’s total lack of knowledge around the adult industry.

Because if Weinstein and his AHF cronies had any real contacts within the adult industry – not just disgruntled, paid former performers, but actual working members of the industry – he would know that many of the “pornographers” he is vilifying with his efforts are also performers themselves, or started in the industry as performers.

The people that Weinstein is denigrating with his message are the same people he professes to “protecting” with his third party, big money, special interest campaign to drive the adult industry out of Los Angeles County. Behind AHF’s misguided rhetoric, there is a presumption that, somehow, “pornographers” are coercive, dishonest and law-breakers.

But the real truth is that the adult entertainment industry in California is the most scrutinized, most regulated sector of the adult industry in the world. In fact, adult film producers are as compliant and law-abiding as possible – not only because they are honest business people – but also for fear of becoming the easy target of ultra-conservative, anti-adult activists that push their moral agenda by bashing porn.

AHF spreads misinformation and skewed statistics about the rates of STIs in the adult industry when, in fact, if a single performer contracts HIV, it makes headlines from Los Angeles to Mumbai overnight. Any STI exposure incident that threatens the performer population causes an immediate halt of production, until the situation is contained and addressed by appropriate medical providers.

AHF would like you to believe that condoms – which are NOT 100% effective against STIs – are much more effective than the regular performer testing protocols that has been in place since 1998. In fact, since 2008, there have been nearly 7,000 new HIV cases reported in L.A. County – but only two of those were adult performers, both of which reportedly contracted the virus off of a production set.

The Centers for Disease Control have reported that most HIV infections are the result of people that don’t know they’re infected. Nearly a quarter of those that have HIV never test, so they don’t know they’re infected. In that context, you’re much better off having a fling with an adult performer, than with someone you meet in a bar on Saturday night. Because performers test every 14-28 days – they KNOW they’re status, and if they aren’t healthy, they can’t work. The industry has successfully implemented mandatory testing since 1998.

In fact, former performer Derrick Burts – now AHF’s favorite posterboy – says that he contracted HIV on a CONDOM-ONLY gay production set. Burts also says that he managed to contract chlamydia, gonorrhea and herpes during his THREE months as a performer – but he doesn’t say that he advertised on a gay escorting site, or that he has been paid $7,000 to appear in commercials for the Yes on Measure B campaign.

Contrast that with current performer Steven St. Croix, who has been in the industry since 1992, performed in nearly 2,000 scenes and says that in his career, he contracted chlamydia ONCE.

The truth is that if Los Angeles voters approve this seriously flawed, unenforceable initiative into law, it will result in millions of dollars in litigation, with both the adult industry and AHF likely to take action against the County of Los Angeles. It also will cost the area thousands of jobs and up to $1B in economic activity.

It will result in a new bureaucracy to send “condom police” to hunt down adult production sets that will have no choice but to flee underground or to other areas – while programs that need funding are slashed to bare bones.

And it will endanger performers by forcing them to areas where there is less or no regulation, in order to compete with content producers and performers from Europe, Asia and other locations worldwide.

Lastly, if Measure B is approved by voters, it won’t stop or even slow the spread of HIV and other STIs. The only thing that will do that is adequate education, resources and outreach to the most affected, under-served populations where STI rates are spiking – and that’s NOT in the adult industry community in Los Angeles County.

That’s the truth. If you plan to vote on the L.A. County ballot on Nov. 6, we encourage you to consider what’s really at stake here, and to not be fooled by AHF’s secret agenda.

And now, some campaign spots – each of which were produced voluntarily, without paid actors, by actual members of the adult industry that feel that their jobs, livelihoods and rights are threatened by Measure B:

The Performer Subsidy Fund will send its first round of subsidy checks to performers today. Performers that tested during the month of September and had test data entered into the Adult Production Health & Safety Services (APHSS.org) database system can look forward to a subsidy of $101.00 per performer panel test.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this first-ever subsidy to performers,” said Free Speech Coalition CEO Diane Duke. “We want to recognize Manwin for initiating and the program and their ongoing financial support, as well as Evil Angel and Kink.com for their contributions. It is through the generosity of these producers that the Subsidy Fund is possible. It’s a wonderful example of how the industry can work together to provide needed resources and uphold high standards in the workplace.”

FSC administers the Performer Subsidy Fund on behalf of contributing producers.

Subsidies for regular performer testing were initially scheduled to be delivered in September but were delayed due to the syphilis exposure incident. However, with the help of the Performer Subsidy Fund, nearly 1,000 performers were treated and/or tested for syphilis. In addition, the TREP-SURE™ EIA syphilis test has been added to the regular performer test panel at APHSS.org facilities, as a result of events.

In order to receive a test subsidy, performers must be registered in the APHSS.org database system and also have supplied a mailing address to Julie@freespeechcoalition.com. Subsidies are then dispersed to those performers, according to test data entered into the APHSS.org database over a month-long period (from the first-to-last day of the month). Subsidy amounts will vary, depending on the amount of contributions to the Fund and the number of performers that test each month.

For more information about APHSS.com, the Performer Subsidy Fund, or FSC, please contact info@freespeechcoalition.com or (818) 348-9373.

Adding to the groundswell of opposition building against Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Nov. 6^th ballot in Los Angeles County, the Republican and Libertarian Parties of Los Angeles County both joined in announcing their opposition to the controversial ballot initiative.

“With the Republican and Libertarian Parties both announcing their opposition to Measure B, the truth about this ridiculous proposal is finally getting out and voters are beginning to see what the consequences will be for taxpayers and public health should Measure B pass,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “As ballots are being mailed out this week to voters, they can read for themselves the arguments and come to the same conclusions both parties did in opposing this measure.”

Lee also noted that the Democratic Party of Los Angeles County declined to endorse the initiative as well, meaning that no major political party in the county has endorsed Measure B.

“The absence of support for the Measure B is deafening,” Lee said. “We also have the support of the largest business group in the San Fernando Valley and 22 chambers of commerce throughout the county in opposition to it. We are confident as more voters read the arguments, more of them will do likewise and reject it.”

According to the California Dept. of Public Health, from June 30, 2008 to June 30, 2011, there were 6,447 new cases of HIV reported in Los Angeles County, but only two were adult performers, both of whom did not contract the disease on-set. Since 2004, there have been no documented cases of HIV transmission on an adult entertainment set.

Measure B, funded and placed on the ballot by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, would require the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to license and permit adult movie productions in the county and require performers to wear condoms and create an unworkable system of on-set inspections and enforcement by county personnel. The county estimates initial start-up costs for the program to be in excess of $300,000, but acknowledges that regardless of the level of compliance by the adult film industry, there would be significant cost to the Department of Public Health.

No on Government Waste Committee

The Committee is comprised of entertainment companies, local business organizations, community activists, adult entertainment performers and healthcare advocates who oppose Measure B’s plan for creating an underfunded government inspection program diverting badly needed resources from local community clinics and underserved minority communities. For more information, please visit: www.noongovernmentwaste.com.