Nomination Period for FSC Board of Directors Election Now Open

Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the adult industry trade association, has opened nominations for its 2013 Board of Directors election. There are nine board positions up for election, out of 13 board seats.

You must be an FSC member to make a nomination. Active FSC members should have received an email form that allows them to nominate candidates for election (sent through Zoomerang-Survey Monkey survey service). Any member making a nomination must supply contact information for each candidate.

Candidates must be active FSC members. The nomination form can be found at this link.

Nominations will be accepted through December 11th, and candidates will be announced mid-December. The election will take place the second half of December.

“This is a great opportunity for members that would like to become more involved with the FSC to either be nominated, or vote in the upcoming election,” FSC CEO Diane Duke said. “Especially now, we need the support of all our members to help choose board members that will offer their insight in some of the challenges the industry faces – including Measure B, retail zoning restrictions, performer health and safety and patent trolls.”

For more information about the election process or to join FSC, contact (818) 348-9373, or diane@freespeechcoalition.com.

FSC Response to Los Angeles County Supervisor on Passage of Measure B

County Board of Supervisors

Room 358, Hall of Administration,

500 West Temple Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,

I write to you on behalf of the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), the adult product and entertainment industry’s trade association. With the passage of Measure B, put on the ballot and funded solely by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), FSC has a number of concerns with the law, its potential implementation and the ramifications  not only for the adult industry but also for Los Angeles County residents.

The law, as passed, is untenable for adult production. Besides the obvious excessive costs of compliance, FSC and the industry have a number of concerns with the law itself.  In reviewing the ordinance, numerous Constitutional  issues arise as well as the question of jurisdiction. We believe that the law is not only unconstitutional  on the grounds of forced expression, but also falls within the jurisdiction  of the state of California rather than local government. Therefore, we will file suit and challenge this intolerable  law in court.

There are several other problems, of course, including the definitional vagueness, enforcement conundrums  and the development  of an implementation  process. We ask that the County Board of Supervisors suspend the implementation of the law until the courts have rendered their decision on the aforementioned  issues. Furthermore, as the County moves to develop an implementation plan, we ask that FSC, the industry’s trade association, be given a seat at the table.

Finally, our industry has been approached,  with open arms and tax incentives, to move our adult production  to communities that welcome adult production as a vital industry and a positive economic force. In the upcoming weeks and months, we will provide a road map for adult production to move its over a billion dollar industry and its accompanying  10,000 jobs to these welcoming communities.

Evaluating  the County’s best interest in this matter, we trust that you will consider all of the foregoing legal and practical problems. Please let us know how we may facilitate a discussion and provide additional  information concerning this critical matter.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

Diane Duke

Chief Executive Officer

Discussion of Measure B to be Held at Tomorrow’s FSC Summit

Passage of Measure B on the Los Angeles County ballot has prompted Free Speech Coalition (FSC) to schedule a discussion of the latest developments at tomorrow’s FSC Summit, to be held at the Sofitel Hotel in West Hollywood, CA.

In addition to the day-long program of Summit seminars, Measure B will be highlighted at a special session from noon-1:30pm.

“Coming off of the momentum of the campaign, we must press forward and come together pro-actively, to decide the next steps for adult industry,” FSC CEO Diane Duke said. “We strongly encourage all industry members in Los Angeles to attend the Summit tomorrow, if only for the special seminar on Measure B. This is a great opportunity for discussion and unity as we move to confront this challenge.”

Attendance for the Summit is free-of-charge, due to the generosity of our sponsors. Industry members can go to the FSC Summit webpage to register for the show online. On-site registration opens at 9am on Thursday.

Other topics slated for Summit program include World Markets, Sex & Politics, Diversification, the Legal Hot Seat and “If I Knew Then, What I Know Now.”

Immediately following the day’s sessions, the FSC Awards will be presented at a gala cocktail reception, to be held in the Stone Rose Lounge at the Sofitel.

For more information on the FSC Summit, please visit the event webpage, or contact FSC at (818) 348-9373.

No on Government Waste Committee Takes Next Steps in Wake of Measure B Passage

Measure B Approval by Voters Ushers in Start of Lengthy Litigation and Implementation Process

In the wake of Measure B’s passage by Los Angeles County voters, the No on Government Waste Committee, a broad coalition of business, entertainment, healthcare, minority and community organizations, announced an effort to stop its implementation through the courts, as well as urged the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to delay implementation pending litigation resolution.

“After being heavily outspent by a well-financed AIDS Healthcare Foundation which poured millions of dollars into passing Measure B, the adult film industry will not just stand by and let it destroy our business,” said Diane Duke, CEO for the Free Speech Coalition, the trade group representing the adult products and entertainment industry. “While the misinformation and outright distortions made by AHF during this campaign may have deceived voters, we believe in the calm, serious deliberations of the legal system we will find that Measure B is in fact unconstitutional.”

In a letter sent to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the adult film industry outlined its move to challenge Measure B in court, as well as asked for a seat at the table as the county considers how to implement provisions of Measure B.

The industry also announced its intent to begin exploring the entreaties made by neighboring states in facilitating the move of production jobs out of Los Angeles County as quickly as possible.

“While the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has tried to portray any move of jobs outside of LA County as unrealistic, the hard truth of the matter is that is exactly what this industry plans on doing now,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “The inevitable consequences of Measure B’s passage and AHF’s short-sightedness will be a significant loss of jobs and tax dollars flowing to local governments to fund police, fire protection and public health services.”

According to the No on Government Waste Committee, the campaign was outspent heavily by the Yes on B side, with all of the support coming from a single entity — the AIDS Healthcare Foundation — which waged a relentless two-year campaign attacking the adult film industry to impose a costly and unenforceable government inspection, permitting and enforcement system.

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 the campaign website.

No On Government Waste Committee Condems Last Minute Negative Robocalls By Yes On B As ‘Futile Last Gasp’

Barrage of Attack Calls to Voters Indicative of Voter Sentiment Swinging Against Measure B

In a decidedly negative and nasty turn in the campaign being waged on behalf of Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative on the Los Angeles County ballot, the No on Government Waste Committee condemned a slew of robocall attack ads being unleashed by the Yes on B campaign this past weekend in response to an effective new television and radio campaign launched by the No on Measure B campaign that has swayed voters against the job-killing and tax-dollar hungry measure.

“Our recently launched television and radio ads are having a significant impact in informing voters of what a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars Measure B is and the devastating impact it will have in chasing away 10,000 entertainment industry production jobs out of the county,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “In response the Yes on B campaign and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation have launched a terribly cynical round of robocalls designed to scare voters into believing they and their families are all at risk from some sort of Larry Flynt boogeyman.”

The robocalls warn voters that adult film companies don’t care about voter health and implies broad-based support from state health organizations when in fact only two such organizations have endorsed Measure B in comparison to virtually every newspaper in the county, almost every chamber of commerce and business organization, ethnic and minority community groups, healthcare service providers and major political parties who have all urged a no vote against Measure B, according to the No on Government Waste Committee.

“The irony of AHF and Yes on B warning voters about who cares about their interests would humorous if it wasn’t so serious when you consider that AHF has already been cited by L.A. County auditors for overbilling taxpayers $1.7 million and is now foisting Measure B on taxpayers which is going to stick them with the bill to hire government inspectors to watch porn sets all day,” Lee said. “Voters are going to see through this charade and recognize the enormous cost to them at a time when L.A. County is threatened by budget cuts because of the recession and state budget crisis.”

The No on Government Waste Committee launched its ad campaign with a new television ad describing the increased costs to taxpayers and potential for deep cuts in county services such as fire and police protection and public health services should Measure B pass. It also released companion radio ads aimed at refuting the Yes on B’s misinformation about the lack of infections in the adult film community.

News media wishing to obtain a copy of the ad for use in coverage, can obtain downloads at Vimeo.

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 the campaign website.

No On Government Waste Committee Denounces Last Minute STD Study By Yes On B Campaign As ‘Desperation Tactics’

Poor Data Analysis Does Not Accurately Reflect Lack of STDs in Adult Film Industry

In another sign of how desperate the proponents of Measure B, the so-called “Safer Sex” initiative, have become, a purportedly “new” study of sexually transmitted disease data was released today which was quickly denounced by the No on Government Waste Committee as a rehash of old 2010 data previously released and discredited in a desperate attempt to win back voters already committed to voting no against the ill-conceived ballot initiative.

“This study uses old data gathered in 2010 whose previous work was discredited by noted epidemiologist Dr. Lawrence S. Mayer who noted how poorly the data used by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation was collected and analyzed,” said James Lee, communications director for the No on Government Waste Committee. “It’s a cynical attempt at a last-ditch effort to influence voters who have already decided to vote against Measure B due in large part to the overwhelming endorsements of newspapers, political parties, business groups, healthcare organizations and community advocates.”

The study in question which ran in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases, purports to have reviewed the disease status of 168 “performers” from a Los Angeles-clinic treating them in 2010. Although the name of the clinic was not disclosed, Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, which was closed after a flurry of frivolous lawsuits by AHF, was the industry supported clinic treating performers at the time, according to the No on Government Waste Committee.

The Committee noted that AIM treated not only performers, but any citizen who wished to be tested for STDs. It is these additional patient loads of non-performers, or people wishing to perform in the industry, but were not allowed to after testing positive, that were previously included in research work conducted by Dr. Peter R. Kerndt, who also participated in this study, demonstrating the erroneous nature of data analysis.

“AHF knows for a fact that its original argument for Measure B, to prevent HIV infection, has fallen flat on its face after we have demonstrated that no performer has contracted HIV on-set since 2004 so now it has shifted the attack to focus on STDs by using faulty data analysis to try and make Measure B more palatable to voters,” Lee said. “It won’t work because voters are now well acquainted with the desperate campaign tactics of Michael Weinstein and vitriolic hyperbole of AHF.”

The STD Journal study is not a scientifically valid survey sample since there is no representative control baseline sample, nor any differentiation on how the sample was culled, or the prevalence of STD rates for all patients seeking treatment at the clinic in question as a whole, Lee said.

“This study is akin to someone standing outside of a coffee house and asking people coming out with coffee if they like coffee and then ascribing that small survey sample to the entire population of a city,” Lee added. “It’s noteworthy that in a previous study by Dr. Kerndt that was analyzed in 2011 by Dr. Mayer, it was found to be not only ‘inaccurate, but also misleading and inflammatory toward the risk of contracting an STD in the adult film industry.’”

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 the campaign website.