G.Walker - you mentioned police enforcement issues. Below is a photo of a pretty good example of why the problem continues even with a regular police presence.


This photo was taken in 2011 - and while I don't for a second think anything lewd was going on - I do think it shows how lax and 'friendly' many of the male officers (in this case a supervisor) get with the more attractive prostitutes. It certainly sends the message to the community that relying on police for enforcement is often a joke.

That said, and in sharp contrast, I also know officers that take a zero tolerance approach and write the prostitutes tickets for any and everything - ranging from littering, j-walking, walking the wrong direction, etc. Most often those pedestrian fines are larger than the ultimate prostitution fine.

In my opinion the DA's office should turn over daily prostitution prosecutions to the city. Treat it like a ticket (an expensive one - $1,200) and save the tax payers the cost and delays of a county prosecution.