The battle over L.A. county's controversial condoms-in-porn measure is being fought through video clips, its seems. How apropos?

Adult video industry opponents of measure B, which would require condoms for porn production in much of the county, have produced a new video (after the jump) depicting the requirement as draconian.

Performers Jessica Drake and James Deen star in the (slightly NSFW) spoof that depicts a future porn shoot:

It contends that, if you vote for the law and it goes into effect on Jan. 1, what you'll see in porn will be “absurd,” with stars having to wear face masks, dental dams, goggles and gloves.

The measure's main backer, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, says the depiction is false.

According to the language of the measure, it would “require use of condoms for all acts of anal or vaginal sex during production of adult films … ” That's it, in black-and-white.

However: The fine print of the measure does say that porn permits issued by the county under measure B could be pulled if producers are found to have violated California workplace safety law and its “blood borne pathogen standard.”

That could be interpreted as requiring latex barriers for all orifices.

But … California workplace safety officials, who already say condoms are law and who have already tried to enforce such a rule, have so far not required anything more than penile prophylactics, to be precise.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation communications director Ged Kenslea tells us the anti-B folks' interpretation is just a clever scare tactic:

The industry just wants to show off their (actually humorous, but completely inaccurate) latest video with the camera crew and an inspector on set in hazmat suits and with the performers struggling mightily with goggles and dental dams.

Measure B requires no such thing as dental dams or hazmat suits–it's fairly straightforward in what it requires: 1) producers must obtain public health permits from the County, 2) they must follow all safety laws including condom use and availability on set, and 3) it allows for the collection permit fees to pay for enforcement, which would be spot enforcement, not round-the-clock monitoring.

James Lee, a political consultant for the No on Measure B campaign, maintained to the Weekly that the video is “accurate,” citing that small print we talk about above:

Jessica Drake.; Credit: No on Measure B

Jessica Drake.; Credit: No on Measure B

It requires an Exposure Control Plan and a Blood Borne Pathogen Plan, subject to Title 8 of the California Code of Regulation, which stipulates the requirements for external protection to shield from exposure, i.e. face shields, gloves, overcoats and masks, when handling biological materials …

He also argued that …

… it governs any film that includes not only anal and vaginal penetration, but any kind of oral contact as well, even with a sex toy or a finger, which then must be treated as a biological hazard

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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