Anti-Porn-Industry Crusader Michael Weinstein Contributed Cash To L.A. Councilman Bill Rosendahl (Who Then Took A Step Toward Mandating Condom-Only Porn In The City)

Bill Rosendahl.

It looks like the porn industry is fighting back against L.A. city Councilman Bill Rosendahl after he made a proposal that could lead to mandatory condom use at city-permitted adult-video film shoots.

The publication Adult Video News pointed out this week that AIDS Healthcare Foundation chief Michael Weinstein, who's been pressuring porn to use condoms, has contributed $1,000 to Rosendahl's campaign in 2004 and 2005.

AVN calls its finding part of an "investigation," although any quick look at the city Ethics Commission website will confirm its findings.

As the condoms-in-porn issue blew up last week with an HIV-positive porn star coming out to speak against the industry and porn's main health clinic being all but shut down, Rosendahl (ever quick to come up with unique ideas and stay ahead of the news curve) introduced a measure that asks the City Attorney to "explain the mechanisms necessary to enable the city's film permit process to require workplace safety in the production of all adult films."

In other words, he's leaning toward a system that would deny city film permits to non-condom shoots.

Already, however, the state requires condoms. It just doesn't enforce that requirement much.

Still, with the Weinstein-Rosendahl connection outed, this is shaping up to be an interesting political battle.

Update: Rosendahl responds, telling the Weekly:

"This is a cheap shot by a bunch of idiots. It's a low class cheap shot. I want to save lives."

Rosendahl says he lost his longtime partner to AIDS in January of 1995 and that Weinstein, whom he said he's known as a friend for many years, was there to console him.

The councilman said he wasn't even aware of Weinstein's contributions when he made last week's proposal:

"This is a safety issue. This has to do with passing the AIDS virus to other people. I don't want to see AIDS transmission on my watch."

While his proposal was to have the City Attorney's office figure out a possible way to deny film permits to condom-free adult-film shoots, Rosendahl said if he had his way that would be the rule in L.A:

"That's how I look at it. But we'll air it through the public process. Safety and saving lives is what we're all about as elected officials."