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San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro to Keynote Dem National Convention

PHOTO: AP

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro will become the first Latino to keynote the Democratic National Convention, reports the Washington Post. The 37-year-old rising star in Democratic politics is also among the youngest mayors of a major American city.

Castro will speak on the convention’s opening night, Sept. 4. First Lady Michelle Obama will also speak on opening night, Democrats announced.

Democrats’ selection of Castro suggests the party is going to be making a full-court press to turn out Latino voters in November. Western swing states with substantial Hispanic populations like Nevada and Colorado could be crucial for the president in the fall. In 2008, Obama took 67 percent of the Hispanic vote to just 31 percent for Arizona Sen. John McCain.

As keynote speaker, Castro will step into the same spotlight that launched Obama into national prominence in 2004.

Watch Castro's announcement video AFTER THE JUMP ...

Los Angeles County to Vote on Measure Requiring Condoms in Porn

Los Angeles County residents will vote on what has been described as "one of the most [sexually] explicit" measures ever seen on a ballot this November. The ordinance will mandate the "use of condoms for all acts of anal or vaginal sex during the production of adult films," reports The Los Angeles Times.

The county initiative follows a city ordinance signed into law in January by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. That measure mandates condom use by porn performers while acting in areas requiring a city film permit.

The county measure would be more restrictive and was spearheaded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which collected more than 371,000 to qualify for the November 6 ballot. Only 232,000 signatures were needed. HIV/AIDS activists expect the measure will be approved by voters.

The measure is backed by Los Angeles AIDS activists who say porn performers are at constant threat of HIV and sexually transmitted disease infection. "The lives of these performers are not disposable," AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein told The Times on Wednesday. "This industry is sending out the wrong message about safer sex."

If approved, the measure will require adult film producers to obtain a health permit from the county Department of Public Health, pay a fee, and require the use of condoms for acts of anal and vaginal sex. County officials will have the authority to suspend or revoke the permit for violations, and could follow up with civil fines or misdemeanor criminal charges, according to the AIDS group's petition.

The adult film industry is headquartered in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Porn production companies have threatened to leave the area over the proposed measure, claiming that consumers are opposed to condoms in adult films. Very few, if any, straight porn productions use condoms. In recent years, more gay adult features and internet scenes are going condom free in a practtice known as "barebacking."

"We do not believe that this is a public safety or health issue but rather an attempt to regulate an industry that is already self-regulated," Steven Hirsch, CEO and co-founder Vivid Entertainment told the Huffington Post. "We will continue to shoot in LA county for the foreseeable future."

California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health and some state lawmakers  have considered mandating condom use in straight and gay porn and/or additional testing for porn performers. Cal/OSHA fined gay porn studio Treasure Island Media in December 2010 for workplace safety violations that exposed employees to "semen and other potentially infectious materials."

The increasing pressure to regulate the adult industry comes after criticism that producers have failed to promptly report HIV outbreaks. In the summer of 2009, "at least 16 additional unpublicized cases of HIV" were confirmed in gay and straight adult film performers. More recently in October and November 2010, production was halted on several studios after a gay-for-pay porn actor who performed in "both straight and gay adult videos" tested positive for HIV. The actor reportedly did not transmit the virus to any other professional or personal sex partners.

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L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa to Chair Democratic National Convention

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been nominated to chair the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

Villaraigosa's role underscores the fact that both parties are expected to fight for Latino voters in key battleground states, reports the LA Times.

A formal announcement was scheduled Wednesday in Washington, with the mayor planning to join President Obama on Wednesday night for a presidential fundraiser in Los Angeles. As convention chairman, Villaraigosa will wield the gavel during the event in Charlotte, N.C., which opens with a festival on Sept. 3 and continues for three days of official business, including the nomination of Obama and his acceptance speech.

Villaraigosa is one of the nation's most prominent elected Latino officials and envisions an active role in Obama's reelection effort. The White House, in turn, is counting heavily on strong Latino turnout, especially in battleground states such as Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Florida.

"Obama won 67% of the Hispanic vote in the 2008 elections. That same percentage of Latino voters said they would vote for Obama over Mitt Romney, in a Univision-ABC News poll conducted in January," adds USA Today.

Villaraigosa is also the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. At the conference's January meeting, Villaraigosa was one of the leaders of group of more than 100 mayors that publicly supported marriage equality.

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100+ U.S. Mayors Pro-Marriage Equality

VIDEO: 100+ U.S. Mayors Announce Pro-Marriage Equality Coalition

PHOTO: Reuters

More than 100 mayors from across the nation have formed a coalition with Freedom to Marry called "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry." The notables include: New York City's Michael Bloomberg, Los Angeles' Antonio Villaraigosa, Chicago's Rahm Emanuel, Washington DC's Vincent Gray, Newark's Cory Booker, Philadelphia's Michael Nutter and Houston's Annise Parker, who is openly lesbian, and recently re-elected as mayor of the nation's fourth largest city.

Is your mayor for equality? The full list AFTER THE JUMP ...

The coalition was announced at the U.S. Conference of Mayors conference in Washington over the weekend, reports Michael Lavers at Windy City Times.

Villaraigosa, who chairs the campaign as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, spoke about growing up without a father as he highlighted the importance of family. He said the lack of marriage equality for same-sex couples has directly impacted members of his own family.

"I've seen the many faces of those hurt by the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8 in California," said Villaraigosa. "They are members of my own family. They're our nation's own children who face daily bullying and violence because of who they are or who people think they are. They're the couples the joyous marriages I've had the honor of presiding over, whose special day was shared by friends and families before their rights were stripped away."

Parker spoke about the difficulties that she and her partner of nearly 21 years faced when they adopted their three children. A series of insurance, custodial and educational challenges followed suit. "One simple thing would have made a tremendous difference in the lives of my family and truly the lives of millions of Americans, and that is access to the rights and privileges of marriage," said Parker.

The coalition could become key in the coming months. Marriage equality legislation has recently been introduced in Washington and is expected to soon be re-introduced in Maryland and New Jersey. 

Maine voters will decide in November on an initiative that will overturn the 209 referendum that overturned marriage equality legislation. Minnesota and North Carolina will also decide on constitutional marriage amendments.

The full list (so far) and video of the announcement AFTER THE JUMP ...

California Assembly Selects John Perez as Its 1st Openly Gay Speaker

History is made this afternoon in California as Assembly Democrats chose Assemblyman John A. Pérez as their new speaker, making the first-term Democrat the first openly gay man to hold one of the most powerful posts in state government.

Assembly Dems "settled an internal fight" and "unanimously backed" the freshman Los Angeles legislator who chairs the Assembly Democratic Caucus. Pérez was challenged in the speakership race by Democratic Assemblyman Kevin De Leon, a fellow Hispanic lawmaker. The speaker-elect reportedly had the votes earlier this week and questions were raised as to why De Leon was publicly challenging Perez.

Perez, cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, will replace current Speaker Karen Bass, who became the first black female speaker. Bass will be forced out of the Legislature by term limits next year.

The nomination now goes before the full Assembly, but the candidate with the most Democratic support usually wins because Democrats hold a majority of seats in the 80-member Assembly.

Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa Will Not Run for Governor

Very unexpected political developments in California. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa reveals he will not run for governor to replace the outgoing and term-limited Arnold Schwarzenegger.  

The mayor tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he wants to devote his full attention to Los Angeles, which is facing its worst fiscal crisis in decades. Villaraigosa says: "Cities are on the frontlines of the challenges facing us in terms of the economic crisis. Here in the City of LA, 12.5% unemployment rate, 21,000 people have lost their home over the last 2 years, we're facing a unprecedented and historical budget deficit of $530 million dollars. I feel compelled to complete what I started out to do."

The Los Angeles Times notes that Villaraigosa’s decision adds "a dash of clarity to the race for the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination" which appears will be between state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Brown has yet to say if he will run. Newsom aggressively launched his campaign on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook in April.