For the next 10 months, the production of pornographic films including special-event permits and conditional-use permits will require a specific permit within the city of Camarillo.
Last month, the council passed a 45-day moratorium on the production of pornographic movies after the city received an increased interest in filming permits.
It was set to expire on May 11, according to officials.
In a unanimous vote Wednesday night, council members approved an urgency ordinance extending the moratorium to 10 months and 15 days, the maximum allowed by state law. Their vote puts the ordinance in effect immediately.
City attorney Brian Pierik said Camarillo received inquiries from three people last month, which he considered "unusual" because there isn't a history of adult filmmaking in the city.
Since the adoption of the interim ordinance, staff has examined other cities that have adopted similar ordinances requiring performers to wear condoms in adult films, according to a staff report. Specifically, staff looked at the city of Simi Valley and Los Angeles for restrictions, regulations and legal issues to help guide their decision, Pierik said.
"We've been evaluating the potential for whether the city should adopt a similar ordinance for what Los Angeles, Simi Valley and county of Los Angeles has adopted," Pierik said.
Since the "Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Ordinance" was applied in Simi Valley, officials said the city has not experienced any significant negative feedback or legal challenges. However, the Los Angeles County condom law, also known as the "City of Los Angeles Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Act," enacted by voters in Nov. is currently in a lawsuit in federal court.
"This provides an additional reason why we probably should take the time to further study this to see what happens in the federal court case and at the state level," Pierik said.
Staff also spoke with representatives of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Cal/OSHA to find out if health regulations relating to blood borne pathogens in the workplace affected local condom ordinances, officials said.
The adoption of the city's local ordinance would not allow the city to take action the same way as Cal/OSHA.
Officials said they need to continue to study similar ordinances in other jurisdictions before they can make a decision on how to enforce regulations.
(c)2013 Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.)
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Distributed by MCT Information Services
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