Council Asks County to Pay for AIDS Classes
Los Angeles City Council on Friday called on the county Board of Supervisors to finance a six-month pilot program in Van Nuys Municipal Court to require classes on AIDS for people convicted of sex- and drug-related crimes.
The motion by San Fernando Valley Councilman Joel Wachs was approved without discussion by a unanimous vote.
It also calls on the state Legislature to establish a mandatory AIDS-education program statewide as a condition of probation for people convicted of sex- and drug-related crimes, including soliciting a prostitute.
Wachs, who announced the proposal at a press conference last week on Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys, a popular soliciting area for prostitutes, said the classes are needed to control the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome among heterosexuals and homosexuals.
The councilman said that Van Nuys Municipal Court officials have agreed to undertake the education program on a trial basis but that the Board of Supervisors must provide $50,000 to pay for it.
The motion also asks the Legislature to assess offenders $50 for each conviction to pay for the program.
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