McColl Pushes Bills Against Pornography

San Diego City Councilwoman Gloria McColl urged civic and religious leaders Friday to support pending state legislation to toughen laws on pornography.

The proposed state laws would give citizens recourse if they believe they are victims of crimes inspired by pornography, and would toughen California’s definition of obscenity. The bills were prepared by McColl last year and were introduced in the state Senate Jan. 9 by Sen. Waddie Deddeh (D-Bonita).

A news conference called by Vista Councilwoman Gloria McClellan to publicize the countywide effort to fight pornography was held on the steps of Rancho Bernardo Inn after aides informed her that no room had been reserved for the event.

But McClellan took a back seat to McColl, who, since she has been on the San Diego City Council, has sponsored several local anti-porn ordinances and now has set her sights on strengthening state legislation against pornography.

One of the bills, SB 136, would amend the state civil code by declaring it to be public policy that a person’s civil rights include the right to be free from pornography and its effects, McColl said.

The legislation is designed to give victims of sexual exploitation or crimes civil recourse if it can be proven that the crime was prompted by pornographic material. The victim would be entitled to collect damages for psychological or physical injury or death, plus a minimum $50,000 fine from each person, party or business responsible for producing or distributing the pornography.

It would give the victim a remedy against businesses and distributors of pornography similar to the penalty that bar owners face if they let a person drink too much and the drunk harms others after leaving the bar, McColl said.

Another measure, SB 139, would amend the state penal code by eliminating the requirement that pornographic material be “utterly without redeeming social importance” and substitute the definition of pornography as material which, “taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” McColl said. “What we’re doing is going by the law of the land, asking that California follow (U.S.) Supreme Court statute.”

The Supreme Court standard is followed in 30 states, she said.

“We have a right to insist upon rights that have not been ours in a while,” said county Supervisor Susan Golding, speaking in support of McColl’s legislation. “It’s time to tell (the courts) and the rest of society that we as leaders are supposed to be moral leaders.”

Bill Kenard, executive director of the San Diego Evangelical Assn., said his 600-church organization has about 50,000 members who will “stand with us in combating the nemesis of pornography.”

Councilwoman McClellan said she has been fighting a 12-year battle against pornography in Vista and that she plans to introduce a version of McColl’s bills at the next council meeting. McClellan said she is now working to control the visibility of porno magazines at stores where children can read them.