LOS ANGELES – First order of business for governor Mary Carey- get rid of this freakin’ new lap dance ban in L.A.. Because in the immortal words of “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen, you can look, but you better not touch. Especially when it come to the strippers in the city of angels and angles.
The new angle is that L.A. City council voted yesterday to ban lap dances and all other physical contact between entertainers and customers at strip clubs, bikini bars and adult bookstores. What? We’re supposed to leave tips in a coffee can?

A “no touch” rule means that dancers have to remain at least six feet from customers- even when dancers are tipped. Including this absurd provision, the esteemed city council also voted to outlaw “VIP rooms” where dancers perform privately. Under the law, he strip clubs must also hire a state-licensed security guard and undergo an annual permit review. Violations would be punishable by up to six months in jail and up to $2,500 in fines.

The ordinance was passed unanimously despite stiff opposition from strippers and adult club owners who argued that their livelihoods were in jeopardy if lap dancing and any other kind of bodily contact between dancers and customers in strip clubs, bikini bars and adult bookstores was banned.

The ban follows rising complaints by people living near adult cabaret clubs about prostitution, drug use, excessive noise and streets littered with condoms.

Club owners and dancers, who make most of their income from cash tucked into their G-strings, have said the ban will kill the thriving business which employs thousands of people.

The new law must be signed by Los Angeles mayor James Hahn and could go into effect as early as next month.

Roger Diamond, a lawyer representing about 20 Los Angeles strip club owners, had opposed the measure, arguing that a city body cannot regulate what goes on inside adult clubs.

But on Tuesday he said the clubs would “rather work with the city. We’re not here to be bad neighbors,” Diamond said.

Gene sez: Diamond’s comments definitely sound like a sell-out to me. Where are the attendant “we’re going to appeal” statements that come with actions like this?