written by Alana Evans- APAG President
Tuesday evening, I had a discussion via phone with the Labor Deputy for Assembly Member Cristina Garcia, the author of AB2389. I took the opportunity to express that the bill had no union support, that we wished to have the bill killed. If Garcia’s office refuses to do so, we would like for the Assembly Member to discuss the issues performers face with stakeholders from APAG, FSC, and PINEAPPLE Support.
During the conversation, I suggested the Assembly Person do away with regulatory offices for the licenses and instead, create a system of councils within Police departments when adult workers could report the crimes against them, safely, and be taken seriously, without judgment. I then expressed to the Labor Deputy that a real issue is the crimes inflicted against our workers when we aren’t on set. We are told that as porn stars, we can’t be raped by the officers we report these crimes to, further dehumanizing us.
I explained the initial issue behind a forced registry of licenses, that would put all workers on a list subject to random checks at home. As mentioned in the amendments to AB2389, I pointed out numerous places where the words license or permit where still referenced, even though Garcia’s office suggested the license factor would be removed. With companies being forced to retain copies of the certificates for 3 years after the performer leaves the company, performers’ private information is unnecessarily at risk.
We have a meeting with Assembly Member Cristina Garcia on March 10.
As our discussion continued, I informed Garcia’s Labor Deputy that our industry already has fail safes in place to prevent underage workers in adult. I pointed to the 2257 regulations the industry follows, reassuring her that it is our goal to have workers who are all consenting adults.
As the call came to an end, I thanked the Labor Deputy and she told me to keep fighting the good fight.
At the end of the day, your opinion of AB-2389 is your right. As a President, I hope I have done my best to deliver all of the information to you to help every member make a well-informed decision, regardless of what side of the fence you fall on.
In Solidarity, Alana Evans
