CAMARILLO : Curbs Considered on Adult Magazines

Camarillo may soon have a regulation that requires vendors of adult magazines to place barriers over the publications so that only their titles can be read if the City Council approves a zoning change now being drafted.

The Camarillo Planning Commission voted 4 to 0 Tuesday to direct the staff to study the issue and prepare an amendment to the city’s ordinance that would require business owners to place “blinders” on the racks where the publications are sold.

If adopted, the so-called blinder law would follow a similar ordinance in Simi Valley that went into effect in 1988. Although some vendors have challenged the law, the city has won every attempt to overturn the regulation, Simi Valley officials said.

Camarillo currently has regulations that govern adult-oriented businesses, but there are no regulations that deal with the sale of adult-oriented publications in news racks or in stores that are not primarily adult businesses, said Tony Boden, the city’s director of planning and community development.

City staff is expected to bring the proposed zoning amendment back to the commission sometime this fall. If the commission approves the ordinance change, the City Council would have the final vote.