Studio City : Wachs Seeks to Stop Porn Filming at House

City Councilman Joel Wachs is trying to shut down filming activities at a hillside home that has been a frequent location for pornographic movie-making, an aide said on Tuesday. Arline DeSanctis, Wach’s chief field deputy, said the council office is concerned about the issues raised by neighbors, including one woman who nearly had a close encounter with a boa constrictor.

“I don’t feel it’s an appropriate location [for filming] because it’s a hillside street, and because of the narrow width of the street,” DeSanctis said. “We already have problems with city services there, and to compound this would be inexcusable.”

Three weeks ago, neighbors began complaining about filming at the house--located on a cul-de-sac on the 11000 block of Picturesque Drive--saying that movie crews were causing traffic snarls and parking problems, and that nude actors and actresses could be seen through windows having sex.

On Monday night, DeSanctis and Tony Lucente, president of the Studio City Residents Assn., held a neighborhood meeting at which residents described their problems to officials from the city Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the city attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Film Office.

One of the more unorthodox complaints came from a woman who said that one day, while walking her dog, she encountered a basket lying in the cul-de-sac where the filming location is located.

Suddenly, “a woman came running out and told her not to go near the basket because there was a boa constrictor inside,” DeSanctis said, explaining that the snake was probably being used in a film.

The council office has asked the city attorney’s office whether the city could be held liable for any injuries or property damage that could occur as a result of filming at the site. If the city’s top lawyer feels the city is opening itself up to lawsuits, then the council office will ask the film office to stop granting filming permits at the house, DeSanctis said.

Early this month, the film office imposed a three-month filming moratorium at the house, while a more permanent solution is worked out.