“Some people want to be sex workers and that’s fine”: Mission residents discuss pending resolution

By Eva Ortega

Nearly three months after Supervisor Hillary Ronen first introduced a resolution urging state officials to legalize sex work in California, concrete barriers meant to curb these illegal activities remain on the streets of San Francisco’s Mission District.

The Mission continues to have the highest rates of prostitution in the city, with 34 out of the 37 reports of it occurring in the district this year. It is an increase from the mere five reports taken during the same time frame in 2022.

Twenty-four of these reports were taken on Capp St. alone, a known hot spot where the city has placed blockades to stop cars from soliciting sex work on the streets overnight. 

Mission resident Amy Pineda believes that the issue has only recently become controversial due to gentrification and wealth disparities in the area.

“The scale of the problem can be seen through a gentrifiers lens, which is really where I’ve seen the issue being brought up—people who are new to the neighborhood or new to the city that aren't accustomed to seeing sex workers,” Pineda said. “Overall, I do think sex work should be legalized […] Some people want to be sex workers and that’s fine.”

Ronen first introduced the resolution in February, asking the city to lobby Governor Gavin Newson, among other officials to legalize consensual adult prostitution in the state. It claims that legalization is a proven means of protecting sex workers while minimizing crime and violence.

The proposal was referred to the Government Oversight and Audit Committee on March 21 and is still pending committee action. 

In a newsletter dated March 27, Ronen stated that a San Francisco Assistant Police Chief had to accompany her on a visit to Capp St. in the “middle of the night” before the area was granted additional police coverage. 

Resident opinions on these blockades remain mixed. 

“It doesn’t seem like a good long-term solution. What’s stopping anyone from just going to a different street?” Ollie Reiner said. “If they’re just trying to get this problem out of the Mission, that’s fine. Out of sight, out of mind works for some people but it isn’t really going to solve anything.”

Concrete barriers in the Mission as seen on the corner of Capp & 22nd St. on May 19, 2023. 

Residents such as Enrique Quinonez also remain wary about the potential consequences of full legalization. 

“I’m not sure about it. There’s kids and families here, tourists, and a high school right down the street. You never know how it could influence them,” Quinonez said. “It could harm the community if we’re not careful over how it’s implemented.”

Ronen argues that legalizing sex work is necessary in order to allow the city to properly regulate where and how it happens. 

Under Nevada law, the only U.S. state that allows sex work in certain counties, prostitution is only legal inside of registered brothels and only when conducted by adults over the age of 18 who are regularly screened for sexually transmitted diseases. 

Similar regulations in San Francisco, such as only allowing these types of activities to occur indoors and not out on the street, have the potential to ease the overnight traffic that continues to disturb Mission residents.

Even still, others insist legalization could contribute to human trafficking. Though, some residents do not believe that is the case. 

“It’s not fair to just assume all [sex workers] are being forced, everyone has the right to make money how they want. We might be thinking we’re helping them but who says they want or need that help,” resident Audrey Kieaniff said. “If some people are being forced into it, then that’s a whole different issue that should be kept separate.”

The US PROStitutes Collective (UPC), a San Francisco-based network who supports women that work in the industry, claims that legalization is necessary to end systemic violence against those who have been forced into sex work due to poverty or trafficking.

The collective claims current legislation does more harm than good. The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Trafficking Act, a law that made it illegal to promote sexually illegal acts online, was passed by Congress in 2018 to help protect those forced into sex work. The UPC claims that rather than helping victims, it has placed more penalties on them.

“It is much, much easier to force people into an industry that’s illegal and hidden away in the dark than one that is regulated,” Tim Sullivan said. “So that argument doesn’t really make sense. It should be legalized.”

While Ronen’s push for legalization remains stuck in limbo, California has already made recent moves to decriminalize sex work. The Safer Streets for All Act was signed by Governor Newsom in 2022, repealing an earlier law that made it illegal to “loiter” with the intent to engage in sex work. 

“I don’t see any downside to legalization at all,” Chris Jackson said. “If it were to come up on a ballot, I’d vote for it.”

Representatives for Ronen did not respond to requests for comment.