BURBANK, Calif. — Several members of the adult entertainment industry, including the leadership of the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), attended today's public hearing held by the California State Assembly Select Committee on Jobs and Innovation in the San Fernando Valley.
The adult industry representatives joined their voices with other segments of the entertainment industry and expressed their concerns to four San Fernando Valley legislators about recent attempts to regulate labor that would affect industry jobs.
The meeting was held this morning at the American Federation of Musicians in Burbank, near the Burbank Airport. It was chaired by Assemblyperson Jesse Gabriel.
Gabriel, a Democrat, represents the 45th Assembly District, which includes much of the western part of the San Fernando Valley, where the adult entertainment industry has been traditionally based since the late 1970s. He was elected in mid-2018.
The elected representatives from the Valley, Assemblypersons Laura Friedman (Democrat, 43rd AD, including Burbank), Luz Rivas (Democrat, 39th) and Adrin Nazarian (Democrat, 46th) were in attendance.
Leaders of the entertainment industry provided, according to Gabriel, "labor and business and government perspectives."
The format was a presentation by the California Film Commission, followed by two panels and then the floor was opened to public comments.
A delegation from the adult industry, led by Michelle LeBlanc, Executive Director of the FSC, attended the event. Adult performer and cam model Mary Moody, also attended the hearing as a representative of the Adult Industry Laborers and Artists (AILAA).
Besides LeBlanc, the FSC delegation included board members and attorneys Jeffrey Douglas and Reed Lee with Kink.com CEO Alison Boden and performer Lance Hart.
Entertainment is part of "our iconic global brand" in Los Angeles, said Assemblyperson Gabriel in his introduction.
A SAG/AFTRA representative touted the Assembly's efforts to pass a recent "deepfakes law," making "digitized nudity" a civil action in California.
The biggest public reaction in the room was the round of clapping in the room after the first criticism of AB5.
After the leader of an independent musicians group requested an exception from AB5, the FSC's Douglas pointed out that everything the legislators discussed "affects the adult industry, but on a different, larger magnitude." Douglas urged the legislators to include the adult industry in all their considerations about entertainment employment bills.
Justin Case, a member of AILAA, requested that the exceptions to AB5 "expand that umbrella to individual content creators," such as from YouTube, Twitch and adult.
"Some platforms are blocking people from streaming in California," Case said.
Finally, LeBlanc requested the lawmakers "address a gap at the lower end of the budget spectrum."
If the threshold for small-budget exceptions is $1 million, LeBlanc argued, "that leaves out the large population of people who are producing their own content."
"These people are driven to make their content, but AB5 — and AB2389, in the adult industry — adds a burden," LeBlanc added.