A South Bay community is applauding efforts by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office to help clean up their neighborhood.
That effort includes issuing stay away orders for people arrested for prostitution in San Jose's Spartan-Keyes and Washington communities. Families in the area said they routinely see prostitutes walking the sidewalk on South First Street and waiting for a customer.
"It's always here," said Rosalinda Aguilar with the Washington Neighborhood Association.
While prostitution is illegal in California, loitering for the purposes of it is not. The DA's Office said it is now trying to come up with more tools to prevent the crimes. One of those tools is called a bench brief, which asks the courts to consider a stay away order for anyone involved in prostitution cases.
"What we're asking for in court, at arraignment, and at sentencing is to stay away from that area where sex work is happening," Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Hugo Meza said.
The DA's Office on Thursday filed a bench brief on Thursday. If a judge approves the recommendation, it would affect the First Street area between Virginia Street to the north and Alma Avenue in the south. It also extends west to Almaden Avenue.
In the bench brief, the prosecutor included the picture of a young boy during a litter clean up event who is picking up a used condom he found in the neighborhood.
"This is a community of families," Aguilar said. "This is a residential neighborhood and it's really sad and disturbing this is what they have to see every day."
The DA's Office said in the end, it will be up to the judge to decide whether to order prostitution suspects to stay away. Bench briefs will also have to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
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