Supervisor Hillary Ronen wants to lift criminal penalties from the sex trade. Ronen, who represents District 9, which includes the Mission District neighborhood, is drafting a resolution to legalize sex work.
She told the Los Angeles Times, "I do feel that society's acceptance and (ability) to get away from the morality issues is growing."
Decriminalizing sex work doesn’t sound as radical as it might have been when Ronen took office in 2017. She said the legislation is part of an attempt to divert or slow down street prostitution in the Mission, where sex workers have been around for decades, and residents want the illegal business contained in a commercial zone.
Santiago Lerma, a legislative aide with Ronen's office, told the news outlet Mission Local that there was a resurgence in sex workers as people started to emerge from the pandemic.
Lyn Werbach, an organizer with Central Mission Neighbors, whose group advocates for Mission residents, said she would not oppose some designated red-light zone.
