Daily Archive
Stories Posted on September 15, 2008
A.J. mayor, council members to face recall vote
Category: Recall · State: Arizona · Source: East Valley Tribune
It’s official. Apache Junction is set for a City Council recall vote and a primary election in March. In a last-ditch effort, four council members and the mayor, all of whom are facing recalls, turned to the court, seeking judicial review of the Pinal County Recorder’s certification of petitions. But county Superior Court Judge William O’Neil dismissed the request, finding there was not enough evidence to show the challenge was filed on time. O’Neil also found the council members failed to prove their main contention: that the way the date and address columns in the petitions were filled out did not comply with the law. Mayor John Insalaco, Vice Mayor R.E. Eck and council members Robin Barker, Richard Dietz and Jeff Serdy are all facing recalls. For Jim Stephens, leader of the recall group Committee for Honest Government, the idea that the council members would go after the city and county was “just amazing.”
Ballot measure to decriminalize prostitution divides liberal San Francisco
Category: Prostitution · State: California · Source: LA Times
At age 22, Patricia West already has her small-business model fully launched. She's done her market research, knows how to advertise online and has a competitive rate structure. There's just one problem: She works in the world's oldest profession, which is illegal. In industry parlance, West is an in-call sex worker. Clients meet her in safe locations. Though this helps her avoid the violence and arrests that routinely come with working the streets, she's always on guard for police stings on the Internet. West wants that to change. She believes all sex workers, including exotic dancers and porn stars, should be able to ply their trade free of the discrimination that comes with a criminal record. She's one of a number of sex workers waging a campaign to decriminalize prostitution here. They're supporting Proposition K, which would shift the city's focus from prosecuting prostitution to pursuing those who prey on sex workers and increasing public health outreach. The goal, West says, is to reduce violence against women and improve the health of sex workers and their clients.