Bill to Curtail Sidewalk Porn Sales Glides Through Assembly, 64-4

The Assembly on Monday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would all but prohibit the sale of graphic pornographic materials from street-side coin-operated vending machines.

A 64-4 vote sent the bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach), to the Senate, where its chances also are rated as good.

Ferguson said his measure is needed because the vending machines that display the graphically pornographic materials are proliferating and are readily accessible to children.

He also called it a “great bill should you be running for office at this time.” Ferguson is a GOP candidate seeking to succeed Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights), who recently resigned to become president of the California Manufacturers Assn.

Ferguson’s bill would allow the sale of so-called harmful matter from vending machines only in areas that are supervised by an adult, which would probably severely curtail their use on sidewalks.

Harmful material is already defined in current law and includes photographs of the acts of sexual intercourse, oral copulation, sodomy, masturbation and bestiality.

One opponent of the measure, Assemblyman Richard E. Floyd (D-Carson), called it a “terrible bill,” warning, “Who’s next and what’s next?”

Another foe, Assemblyman John Burton (D-San Francisco), said: “The next thing, we will be posting guards in front of cigarette machines because we know that cigarettes kill people.”

The bill is a follow-up to a 1988 law that prohibits the sale of pornography from vending machines if children would be able to view the material.