NEW RULES FOR ADULT STORE COUNCIL LIMITS HOURS, INCREASES NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AT TALK OF VALLEY.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

Responding to complaints from residents and police, the City Council on Wednesday imposed a set of 35 restrictions on an adult video store in Mission Hills that officials said has been a neighborhood nuisance and a source of criminal activity.

The council prohibited Talk of the Valley from being open 24 hours, instead ordering it to close at 10 p.m., and forcing it to increase the number of employees on site at any one time to improve security and sanitation.

The owners of the store, which has been at the location for 30 years, said the restrictions may force them out of business.

City officials said the store is a magnet for inappropriate and illegal activity, such as sex in cars nearby and solicitation of local residents.

Last year the police averaged three arrests a month - or about one arrest for every three police visits to the store, officials said. The store also is the source of the most complaints within the 261-square-mile area of the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Division.

``When is enough enough?'' asked Associate Zoning Administrator Jon Perica. ``When children walk through the community and have been propositioned, or you can't walk out in front of your house without seeing some type of illegal activity going on in a parked car at night.''

A City Council committee heard three hours of testimony from dozens of people who were upset about the store.

``We hear complaints from residents that there are people they can trace back to the business before or afterwards that they are cruising for what they call partner contacts,'' said City Council President Alex Padilla, whose district includes the store.

Roger Jon Diamond, the attorney for store owner Frederick Alfano, said the owners object to the reduced hours and the increased employees. The city is requiring the store to have five employees on site at one time, including a janitor and two uniformed security guards, but Diamond said the store can only afford two.

``Otherwise as a practical matter, the city will put my client out of business,'' Diamond said. ``Depriving my client of income would be very unfair.''

Among the conditions placed on the store:

--All video-viewing booths shall be sanitized three times a day, with a log of cleanings maintained.

--Security cameras shall be placed within the viewing booths allowing store employees to watch for inappropriate activity, and the tapes must be held for 72 hours before reuse.

--Hours shall be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

--The inside and outside within 100 feet shall be kept clear of trash and debris, especially material offensive to the general public.