Local News in Brief : Simi Acts to Restrict Adult Publications

Following the lead of other communities, the City Council in Simi Valley has directed its attorney to draft an ordinance that would regulate the sale of sexually oriented publications in news racks.

The order came after residents complained that tabloids sold from coin-operated racks in three locations in the city are too accessible to children.

The latest complaint came in a letter hand-delivered to the council last week from a woman who said she purchased a copy of New Reality, an adult newspaper, on busy Los Angeles Avenue. On the cover was a picture of a woman holding her breasts.

Councilman Greg Stratton said the experiences of other communities suggest that Simi Valley cannot enact a law banning the sale of adult publications without also prohibiting the sale of all other newspapers.

What the city probably will do, Stratton said, is adopt an ordinance that regulates where the publications can be sold--keeping them away from schools and parks. The law may also contain a “modesty” clause that requires the shielding of front-page pictures that are sexually suggestive or explicit.