Keeping score? Porn and free speech vs. the law are 9-26 this year.

PALMDALE – A temporary new city law is aimed at keeping sexually oriented businesses from setting up in residential areas while city officials draft permanent ordinances that cover new technologies such as webcasting.

In an unanimous vote last week, the City Council approved an ordinance on “adult modeling studios” that includes references to new technologies of the digital age. The so-called “urgency” ordinance takes effect immediately and is good for 45 days, but can be extended for up to a year while city officials craft permanent ordinances.

“It shows we as a city respect the family environment,” said Councilman Tom Lackey. “But we want to cautiously approach this topic because we know there will be well-financed opposition to whatever we approve.”

Councilman Steve Hofbauer said the city will likely have to take on a related issue – city permits for filming on private property. Some cities, including Los Angeles, have required a permit for commercial filming on private property, but Palmdale does not.

“We may need to open that discussion very soon,” Hofbauer said.

The existing ordinance against “adult modeling studios” was enacted in 1997, before the development of technologies that make it easier to record and transmit adult material in a residential area, city officials said.

Such businesses can increase traffic, noise, litter, drug and criminal activity, encroach on public rights-of-way, and risk exposing children to suggestive sights and sounds, city officials said.

Among the provisions in the urgency ordinance is language stating it applies to patrons both on- and off-site, such as those viewing by webcast. The existing ordinance’s language could be construed as applying only to customers on-site, city officials said.

The urgency ordinance also includes language relating to electronically or digitally recorded adult material, and to transmitting the material through webcasting, cablecasting or other broadcast.