Condoms not evidence of prostitution under bill
Arrested for carrying condoms? No longer, under proposed legislation to bar police from using condoms against prostitutes.
Assembly Bill 336 would disallow possession of one or more condoms as evidence of sexual solicitation in arrests or prosecutions.
Assemblyman Tom Ammiano contends his bill could save lives.
The measure would eliminate the dilemma of sex workers choosing between carrying condoms to prevent disease or abandoning such protection for fear of arrest, according to the San Francisco Democrat.
"We have to encourage safe-sex practices, not frighten people into spreading disease," Ammiano said in a written statement.
AB 336 would not legalize prostitution or bar police from arresting offenders based on other evidence, including presence in suspect areas, manner of dress, approach to cars, or possession of sex toys, lubricants or cash.
"They can still arrest people under the law," Ammiano said. "They would only be prevented from using as evidence the one thing that protects public health: condoms."
BILL WATCH
Puppies, kittens and other live animals could not be sold at flea markets or swap meets under legislation proposed this week by a Sacramento Democrat. Assemblyman Roger Dickinson's Assembly Bill 339 would make first offenses an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $250. If an animal suffers or is injured, however, the charge can be hiked to a misdemeanor and the fine to $1,000.
WORTH REPEATING
"I've never been on a Carnival cruise, but I have been deployed to Afghanistan living in extreme, inhospitable field conditions. I'm ready."
ASSEMBLYMAN JEFF GORELL, R-Camarillo, commenting via Twitter about conditions on the Carnival Triumph, which was towed to Mobile, Ala., days after an engine fire crippled the vessel in the Gulf of Mexico
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "Report Abuse" link to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
• Don't flag other users' comments just because you don't agree with their point of view. Please only flag comments that violate these guidelines.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "Report Abuse" link to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them.
Order Reprint
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "Report Abuse" link below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.