LAKE FOREST : City Orders Blinders on Adult Magazines

Store owners who display adult materials could be charged with a misdemeanor under a new ordinance passed by the City Council.

The law requires magazine racks containing sexually explicit covers to have a device known as a blinder to keep minors from seeing the material.

“We were quite clear in not denying anyone the right to access” to the magazines, said Mayor Ann Van Haun, who joined a 4-1 vote Tuesday to pass the ordinance. “We just felt there is a responsibility on their part to keep it in an area where it is not in full public view.”

The ordinance is based on the state Penal Code, which prohibits the display of material that is harmful to minors. It applies to liquor stores, convenience stores, drugstores and other retail outlets in Lake Forest.

Under the city law, the blinder rack must cover at least the bottom two-thirds of the magazine.

Van Haun said the council wasn’t reacting to an abundance of pornographic materials in Lake Forest.

“It’s not a prolific problem throughout the city,” she said. “We felt we should take a pro-active stance so it doesn’t become common in Lake Forest.”

Both residents and city officials reacted strongly last November to an Irvine proposal to restrict businesses selling adult materials to an industrial section bordering Lake Forest.

“We don’t want to judge whether something is pornographic,” Van Haun said. “We want to assist families and parents in maintaining their values.”