City officials plan to recommend the changes, which will be made in two ordinances — U-1279 and U-1280 — to the city council on Wednesday. The move comes in response to information received by city officials that an adult business is considering opening a studio in a residential area.
“In a family-oriented community, this type of activity won’t be tolerated,” Mayor Jim Ledford said. “These ordinances are our first line of defense. [They] need to be as descriptive as possible.”
Palmdale already prohibits adult businesses from operating in residential areas under a 1997 ordinance, but the proposed change would update the language of the law to expand the ban in light of new technologies.
According to Deputy City Attorney Cesar Bertaud, adult businesses are legal in commercially-zoned areas of Palmdale.
“We’re concerned about the secondary effects of allowing adult businesses to operate in residential areas,” Bertaud told XBIZ.
Bertaud went on to say that the changes were necessary given developments in technology. U-1279 amends the term “adult modeling studio” to include a host of methods for distributing adult content. Among the new technologies considered are digital recordings and webcast-operations.
The city council plans to make the changes as an urgency ordinance so the law can take effect immediately. However, the ordinance is an interim measure, meaning that once effective, the city will have time to study the issue before the changes become permanent. An urgency ordinance requires approval by a four-fifths vote in the city council.
