Los Cerritos Community Newspaper Group Latest to Oppose Measure B Says No on Government Waste Committee

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 29, 2012) - The Los Cerritos Community Newspaper Group is the latest area newspaper to urge a No vote against Measure B, the so-called "Safer Sex" initiative on the Nov. 6^th ballot, joining eight other newspapers and 44 local chambers of commerce and business groups who have all endorsed No votes against the ballot initiative which threatens 10,000 jobs and over $1 billion in local tax revenue and economic activity.

"The avalanche of opposition to Measure B has been overwhelming with virtually every newspaper in the county recognizing how poorly written and ill-conceived this initiative is and the devastating consequences it will have on the local economy," said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. "All together, these newspaper endorsements against Measure B represent over 1.6 million readers and we are confident when they read these editorials, they will become convinced and vote No against Measure B."

"Los Angeles County government officials have no business in policing adult film performers to see if they are wearing condoms, plain and simple," said the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper Group editorial.

Newspapers so far opposing Measure B include:

• Los Angeles Times
• Los Angeles Daily News
• Long Beach Press Telegram
• Pasadena Star News
• San Gabriel Valley Tribune
• Torrance Daily Breeze
• Whittier Daily News
• Santa Clarita Signal

Other recent endorsements against Measure B include:

• St. James Infirmary, a leading health and social services provider
• Los Angeles County Federation of Republican Women
• Log Cabin Republicans of Los Angeles
• Los Angeles County Republican Party
• Los Angeles County Libertarian Party
• 44 other local area chambers of commerce, including Regional Black Chamber of Commerce, and Pilipino Chamber of Commerce, and the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, the largest business group in the San Fernando Valley

A complete list of endorsements against Measure B is available at: http://www.noongovernmentwaste.com/endorsements.html

"The Yes on B campaign has failed to garner any significant endorsements and has falsely claimed endorsements by several major healthcare groups who in fact only endorse the concept of condom accessibility on adult film sets and have not endorsed Measure B," Lee said. "Measure B is a failure in how it was drafted and how it is being sold to the voters of Los Angeles County. It promises safety, but delivers an economic body blow to an already struggling public healthcare system."

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.

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 14 and 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.