LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 40 California newspapers have now come out against Proposition 60, the controversial adult film initiative on California’s November ballot, says the Free Speech Coalition. The initiative would allow any resident of California to sue anyone involved with an adult production, including performers, if they watch an adult film and don’t see a visible condom.
The editorial boards of all the state’s largest papers have all strongly opposed Prop 60, as have both the state Democratic and Republican parties, hundreds of public health and civil rights advocates, and every major performer group.
The Los Angeles Times says the “heavy-handed Proposition 60 would deputize every Californian as a condom cop … an extreme approach — and demonstrably counterproductive.”
The Orange County Register says Prop 60 “could be exploited by people trying to damage a controversial business or earn a cut of a resulting fine.”
The Sacramento Bee says Prop 60 could create “an all-out war, in the courts and by the state, ... which could just drive performers further underground and make them less safe.”
The San Francisco Chronicle says Prop 60’s condom requirement “doesn’t make sense” and “invites legal bounty hunting. Also performers, who often use screen names, could have their identities and addresses made public, a feature that invades privacy and could lead to harm from porn-addled stalkers.”
“We see broad opposition to this measure from editorial boards across the state, and across the political spectrum,” says Eric Paul Leue, campaign manager for No on Proposition 60, Californians Against Worker Harassment. “Performers and public health experts have spoken out about how dangerous and misguided this measure is, and we call on voters to help us defeat it on November 8.”
A full list of newspaper that have endorsed “No on 60” below:
Bay Area Reporter
Chico Enterprise-Record
The Daily Californian (Berkeley)
The Daily Breeze (Torrance)
The Daily Democrat (Woodland)
Daily Press (Victorville)
The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)
East Bay Times (Oakland/Contra Costa County)
Glendale News-Press
Hanford Sentinel
The Fresno Bee
La Opinión (Los Angeles)
Long Beach Press-Telegram
Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Times
Orange County Register
Oroville Mercury-Record
The Madera Tribune
Marin Independent-Journal
Marin Magazine
Merced Sun-Star
Mercury News
The Modesto Bee
Monterey County Herald
The Sacramento Bee
Santa Barbara News-Press
San Diego City Beat
The San Diego Union-Tribune
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Bay Guardian
San Francisco Examiner
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
San Mateo County Times
San Mateo Daily Journal
Santa Clarita Valley Signal
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Santa Rosa Press-Democrat
The Argonaut (Los Angeles)
The Record (Stockton)
Redlands Daily Facts
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Ventura County Star
Whittier Daily News
The East Bay Express
The San Diego Free Press
Proposition 60 has also been opposed by the California Democratic Party, the California Republican Party, the California Libertarian Party, and over fifty local and issue-based political clubs, as well as the state’s ten largest newspapers and over a hundred HIV/AIDS organizations, doctors and civil rights advocates, as well as the performers groups APAC and APAG. Nearly two thousand performers are actively campaigning against Proposition 60 by speaking out at campuses, farmers markets and on social media, as well as participating in political rallies and protests.
Current polls show the measure tied, with 40% in favor, 40% opposed, and 20% of voters undecided.
ABOUT FSC
The Free Speech Coalition is the national trade association for the adult entertainment and pleasure products industries. Its mission is to lead, protect and support the diverse adult entertainment community.