Over the past 6 or so years of blogging I have been pretty open regarding my disdain for most people in government whether it be at the local level or the Federal level. I think my anger has to do mostly with the complete disregard of possible unintended consequences. For example, back in 2011 the CARD Act was enacted Congress or our President didn’t seem to have the foresight to realize that when they took an income stream away from a bank via limited fees they’d come up with another fee to keep profits steady. But in a stroke of pure idiocy LA, where a lot of porn is made, is proposing a law to make women wear goggles for “safety purposes.”
Porn stars could soon be forced to don far more protection than just condoms in California. New rules proposed last week by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHA) would require adult film actors to wear eye gear for many scenes. The rules, which have yet to be finalized, would also impose strict hygiene standards and outlaw common porn practices.
My first problem, and not really the main point of the post but these are adults who signed up for work that has certain “hazards” let them work. But this is not a small government rhetoric post, instead it is about unintended consequences that are not new. Production, and thus tax revenue, will leave!
A few years back LA passed a semi-similar protection measure by requiring condom in porn shoots and as the LA Times highlights it was devastating for the industry in LA
The number of permits issued for X-rated productions plummeted about 90% to just 40 permits last year compared with 2012, according to data from FilmL.A. Inc., the nonprofit group that handles film permits for the city and county. Only 20 permits have been issued so far this year.
The decline follows the passage in late 2012 of a county law mandating condom use by performers.
Porn Permits Drop Dramatically in L.A. After New Condom Law“We’ve seen a dramatic drop in permits,” said Paul Audley, president of FilmL.A. “It is a cause for concern that people who are manning the cameras, lights and other things on those sets are not working anymore…. It’s not helpful to have another segment of the industry leave the region.”
The decline in permitted shoots for adult entertainment comes at a time when L.A.’s workforce has been hammered by one of the state’s highest unemployment rates. The entertainment industry has also been hurt by the flight of mainstream movies and TV shows to other cities and states offering tax breaks and rebates.
Although critics say it’s unclear how many companies may be filming illegally without permits, porn producers say they’re taking their business to other counties in Southern California, as well as Nevada, Florida and Eastern Europe, where they say they face fewer regulations. The industry also has been forced to downsize amid declining DVD sales and free porn on the Internet.
“We’re not shooting in L.A. anymore,” said Steven Hirsch, founder and co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment. “We’d like to stay here. This is our home, where we’ve produced for the last 30 years. But if we’re forced to move, we will.”
The situation is the same at Penthouse Entertainment in Chatsworth. The company, which has 10 television channels and produces up to 80 movies a year, has stopped all local film shoots.
“This month we’re shooting 10 movies in Brazil,” said Kelly Holland, managing director for Penthouse Entertainment. “Last month, we shot five movies in Europe. It’s just too complex to shoot here.”
The decline in adult entertainment has been widely felt in the San Fernando Valley, where much of the multibillion-dollar industry is concentrated.
Although porn production accounts for less than 5% of all film permits, the industry has traditionally been an important contributor to the local economy. A decade ago, local economists estimated that the porn industry in the San Fernando Valley generated 10,000 to 20,000 jobs annually and had $4 billion in annual sales.
As many as 5,000 adult films were shot in Los Angeles in warehouses and private homes in 2011, according to industry estimates.
Look at the backlash from just condoms! Now imagine trying to film with someone wearing silly goggles on?!
Even, if you are anti-porn, this measure doesn’t make sense. The filming didn’t stop it just moved, or much worse, went underground. I really believe this was a group of politicians who really didn’t think about the obvious unintended consequences.
When I read about this, the proposal wasn’t about porn stars being required to wear goggles.
It was about a general safety measure for all employees in any industry where bodily fluids could enter mucus membranes (or something like that) and create a health issue. I think porn stars wearing goggles would be an unintended consequence itself of something hoping to bring safety to the workplace.
No saying that it is right or wrong, but it adds a layer to the discussion. It seems like everything you try to do to help seems to require an exception made elsewhere. I can’t believe the answer is just to ignore safety completely. I think you have to consider possible exceptions and allow for them if they have merit.
“No saying that it is right or wrong, but it adds a layer to the discussion. It seems like everything you try to do to help seems to require an exception made elsewhere. I can’t believe the answer is just to ignore safety completely.”
You are correct but I believe that is how ‘they’ got smoking banned in bars and restaurants – health of the workers. I am not sure I am pro that either. While I am thankful I don’t reek of cigarettes at the end of the night, I feel like it should be a bar owner’s choice to ban it or not.
If it is something that will put the final nail in the coffin in an industry that may be important to your city then a government official should have the aforethought to deal with it.
That title is some serious clickbait! But it got me. There are always unintended consequences to every ridiculous piece of red tape that the government throws at us. For the example you cited, most porn work is now being done underground or in Florida. I might suggest watching the new Netflix original, “Hot Girls Wanted.” It talks about the evolution of the porn industry over the last few years, and touches on the movement from California (due to the condom law) to Florida.
My title? Why – it really feels like another situation where the gov’t is blind to realities.
I am huge documentary fan, I will check that out in the next few days! And guess what, if Florida does something stupid like add a condom law, then it’ll move overseas and still sit on our servers streaming in America.
IMO
This is just a clever way to outlaw an industry the is undesirable to some without attacking it directly. Make the environment for it to succeed impossible to work in.
This is the tactic of late. If attacking a “perceived” issue does not work come at it from a financial angle. It’s a passive form of bullying people use to social engineer now. Think of how many people lately lost their jobs or businesses suffered because they don’t agree with something or just have an opinion about something not PC.
At work a few of us have a running joke, based on the 2006 movie “Idiocracy”. This was a parody and satire of the future. Sadly one by one, many of the things seem to be coming true that were in this movie. Who would have known it was a prophetic documentary disguised as comedy?
How long before the machines in “Demolition man” 1993, that fine you on the spot for saying something a small portion of society doesn’t agree with are also a reality? I don’t think it’s just government, the world is not going in a good direction. Well at least not in North America.
“This is just a clever way to outlaw an industry the is undesirable to some without attacking it directly. Make the environment for it to succeed impossible to work in.”
– That is really interesting. I wonder if that is the real reason? Would make sense.
Idiocracy is one of those movies that I want to say I hate but I end up watching every time it on lol