The State - News from Feb. 10, 1989

A plan by the city of Santa Ana to declare more than 100 prostitution suspects “public nuisances” and bar them from Harbor Boulevard was ruled illegal by Orange County Superior Court Judge William F. McDonald, who said the city’s latest ploy to rid the area of prostitutes was tantamount to asserting that “every attractive woman on Harbor Boulevard is assumed to be a hooker.” Under the city’s plans, women suspected of repeated prostitution would have been ordered to stay away from problem spots along the boulevard. Those violating the ban could have been jailed for contempt of court and assessed civil fines of up to $5,000, city officials said. Acknowledging that the growing tide of prostitution along Harbor Boulevard has created “a serious problem,” the judge told city attorneys: “I can’t give you a solution. All I can say is keep trying, but this is not the right way to go.”