As a small business owner in Simi Valley, I find the new ordinance against flier placement unfair and unconstitutional.

Because of the unpopular pornographic advertisements, that no doubt leave an address and phone number, the city has targeted every other family oriented and community-benefiting business as well.

As a oneman operation, I cannot always afford the hundreds or thousands of dollars it takes to get to the same number of potential customers through advertising as I reach with my flier placement on cars at community events, fairs and shopping center parking lots.

If they could have thought this through better, instead of simply seeing it as a way to stop the pornographic onslaught in our city, they would realize that it would be possible to call and/or contact the distributor of the "unwelcomed" fliers with direction leading to their stopping placement and, at the same time, allowed the more communityfriendly businesses to continue their less costly and effective way of advertising.

I, for one, have always returned to whatever area I place my fliers and picked up any that have been thrown to the ground by the car owner.

I don't remember an opportunity to vote on this decision and feel should that opportunity have been offered, we could have maybe come to some sort of an agreement, involving perhaps a time frame allowing the distributor of the "accepted" flier to return and pick up any discarded fliers.

Discrimination issues? Not if you look at it the same way it was voted to not have the pornographic industry open a facility within the city limits.

I wonder if the Simi Valley City Council has taken into consideration how this would affect the small businesses of their community. I remember when the roadside signs were given the same blow when a choice few businesses and individuals overtook street corners with dozens of identical signs.

I suffered at that decision as well, and now here I stand, holding my roadside signs in one hand and my fliers in the other, wondering what to do. Peter Carrube Simi Valley

Carrube is the owner of StreeSmart Self Defense