The porn industry is considering new locations for productions after a Los Angeles city ordinance requiring porn actors to wear condoms while filming took effect earlier this week.
Some surrounding cities are thinking: "Not in my backyard."
Under the new law, porn companies are denied adult-film permits unless they agree to use condoms on set, something city officials have said they passed for protection from sexually transmitted diseases.
For decades, the billion-dollar industry has called Los Angeles its home, and an accepting one at that, especially in the San Fernando Valley.
But the new law is forcing many in the industry to consider new shooting locations, some close to Los Angeles and some in other states.
"We aren't planning on shooting in the City of Los Angeles as a result of this," said a spokesman for Vivid Entertainment Group, a porn production company. "We believe the government has no right to mandate what people do … when they make an adult movie."
The porn industry is set to fight the law, but must comply with the rules for the time being.
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So, where exactly would these porn companies consider moving? Here are five possible locations.
Simi Valley
This small, quiet city of about 126,000 people is a prime location for porn companies because it sits just a hop, skip and a hump, er, jump from the San Fernando Valley.
Simi Valley officials have proposed their own city ordinance, similar to that of Los Angeles, but one that would take enforcement a step further.
"We don't want them here," said Bob Huber, mayor of Simi Valley. "They would move all the porn studios to our town. … This is a family community."
The ordinance is similar to that of Los Angeles, but adds stricter enforcement, Huber said.
"Our enforcement provision is that when they film, they have to have a licensed medical professional on set," he said. "Then the company sends a copy that comes over to the police department, who will then watch the unedited film and be reviewed."
The employee would not be a police officer, but a civilian employee, Huber added.
The city is scheduled to vote on the ordinance on March 26. Huber said he is confident it will pass.
Phoenix
Huber mentioned there would be one city potentially interested in accepting the porn industry: Phoenix, Ariz.
From the San Fernando Valley to the Valley of the Sun, Huber said Phoenix may welcome such a move because of the potential tax revenue that the billion-dollar industry could bring with it.
But city officials say filming porn is in fact illegal.
"Knowingly filming pornography in Phoenix … would be a violation of Arizona state law," said Sina Matthes, spokesperson for the City of Pho. "Therefore, the Phoenix Film Office would not issue a permit for a project that violates state law."
It's unclear whether or not the law is the same for surrounding communities, like Scottsdale or Tempe.
Many businesses have boycotted Arizona in the last couple of years due to the state's controversial law regarding illegal immigration.
Nevada
While this state may sound like an obvious choice, with its "Sin City" and other options for adult fun, recent political decisions may imply that the state could actually be shifting to be more conservative.
A recent Los Angeles Times article points out that many of the state's casinos are now connected to Wall Street, making places like Las Vegas and surrounding areas economically and socially conservative.
In recent years, the state has also voted to ban gay marriage and stopped the legalization of marijuana.
And although prostitution is legal in rural areas of the state, brothels are regulated and legally require condom use.
Calls to Las Vegas city officials were not returned, as city hall is closed on Fridays. Fitting that every weekend is a three-day weekend in "Sin City."
However, if the porn industry were to move to Nevada, and were initially held under the same standards as the prostitution industry, porn companies could point to two court rulings in California and New Hampshire, which ruled that adult-film producers should not be prosecuted under anti-prostitution laws.
New Hampshire
Did someone say New Hampshire?
It is legal to make adult movies in the Granite State, confirmed by the state's Supreme Court in 2008, which ruled that making pornographic films was not the same as soliciting prostitution.
Not surprising for a state whose motto is "Live free or die."
But realistically, New Hampshire is an unlikely choice for porn companies to move to, considering the roughly 3,000 miles that separate the two states.
Calls to city officials in Concord, N.H., the state capital, were not immediately returned.
San Fernando Valley
We end where we began.
A loophole in the new ordinance could still allow porn companies to stay local.
The law does allow filming without condoms in certified sound stages, like those found at major movie and television studios, scattered all across Los Angeles.
A call to Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank was not immediately returned, but it may be safe to assume there won't be any WB-Vivid Entertainment films coming out any time soon.
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