Mahender "Mike" Singh was sentenced in federal court yesterday to nine years in federal prison for pimping out four teenage girls, two of whom were underage, via local motels and the internet. Singh pleaded guilty to sex-trafficking conspiracy charges in relation to his mini prostitution ring, which ended at a South San Francisco Travelodge last September. more ›

Last week near 10th and Mission in SOMA, a woman was kidnapped and tossed into a car while walking with a pal in broad daylight. The incident, which happened on February 28 at 3:40 pm, raised concern over the woman's safety. However, according to SF Examiner, the victim has been found and is safe. more ›

We reported in September on the teen prostitution ring that got busted at a South San Francisco Travelodge, and now the couple behind it all, Mahendar "Mike" Singh, 40, and his wife, Helen Jean Singh, 22, have been indicted by a federal grand jury. Mike is currently in federal custody, and he pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of conspiring to commit sex trafficking. Helen has been released on bond and she'll be in court tomorrow to set an arraignment date. more ›

Fast on the heels of the news of this disturbing rape in a South S.F. home, we get word of a prostitution bust at a nearby motel involving three teenage girls, two of whom were underage. As the Tribune reports, husband-and-wife pimp team Mahender Singh, 40, and Helen Singh, 22, pleaded not guilty yesterday to 12 felony counts including human trafficking. more ›

Not only is Vallejo having a problem with prostitution lately, San Jose's up to their ears in hookers too! Police blame budget cuts and the related cuts in enforcement, and they say that pimps are coming from far and wide (Fresno! Oakland!) to ply their trade in the wilds of San Jose. The Mercury-News even published an op-ed titled "San Jose Is Becoming Sin City"! But part of the draw appears to be the weather and the relative peace of San Jose, where prostitutes have it a little easier. more ›

The Guardian Angels have landed on colorful 7th Street in SOMA. Their mission: prostitute wrangling. In their own words: more ›

The East Bay Asian Youth Center started a new program this week to stop sex workers from doing business in their neighborhood. According to KTVU, "Neighbors along International Boulevard in Oakland have long been fed up with the blight of prostitution on their streets." So, residents and community members are working with police to send out "Dear John" letters to customers who sought and purchased quickies in the area. more ›

As part of ongoing efforts to curb the prostitution epidemic in Vallejo, the local police force has upgraded their hardware with the help of a local businessman. According to a KTVU report from the bankrupt town of working girls, Vallejo Police have installed two new digital video cameras (fancy webcams, really) that allow officers to view live video feeds of popular pickup spots over the Internet or from the comfort of their police cruisers. more ›

One Jomo Zambia, a convicted pimp, took his case to the California Supreme Court arguing that the wording of the law defining illegal pandering is unclear when it comes to recruiting hos who are already hos. You see, Zambia's attorney points to the language that defines a pimp as anyone who "induces, persuades or encourages another person to become a prostitute." This makes it sounds like it's only illegal, he argued, if one is recruiting girls new to the trade, as opposed to established, experienced hos. more ›

Vallejo's been having a rough go of it, you guys. There was the town's bankruptcy, and then this trouble with violent teen mobs and vigilanteism, and the occasional body. Now they're facing gentrification-through-prostitution, and neighborhood groups are kind of pissed! more ›

A suspected prostitue was busted in Oakland for felony child endangerment and soliciting an act of prostitution. The woman arrested on Wednesday afternoon during a police sting. "Officers saw the woman loitering in the 1500 block of 16th Avenue and once saw her go check on something inside a 'ratty and dirty' Oldsmobile parked nearby," reports Oakland Tribune. After the woman returned to her place of business, if you will, and signed a verbal contract to perform a sex act in exchange for monetary compensation, she got into her client's car and drove away. That's when things got ugly: more ›

Ever since Vallejo filed for bankruptcy a couple years back, we've been pulling for the home of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to experience a miraculous renaissance. Well, that hasn't quite happened yet and despite attractively low home prices, our neighbor to the north-east is apparently attracting as many hookers as is it homebuyers. According to the Chronicle's exposé on the growing problem, the town is now a draw to working women from all over the West. more ›

Whipping out a law that's been on the books since 1914, the City of Oakland is assessing penalties of up to $25,000 on the owners of three ghetto hotels -- the National Lodge at 17th and International Blvd., the Economy Inn at East 12th and 1st, and the Sage Motel at Macarthur and High Street -- for turning a blind eye to all the hookers traipsing in and out of their properties. City Attorney John Russo is clearly trying to make an example of these hotels in an effort to curb Oakland's longtime prostitution problem, where at least 10% of working girls/boys arrested each year are minors. more ›

We're a little late getting around to this, but the twentysomethings over at Mission Mission were not. See, on a now prostitution-free Craigslist, someone was a tad desperate for Thursday playoff tickets. He was even will to go as far as to perform cunninglingus to snatch them up, so to speak. Brace: more ›

Last week, after Attorneys General in 17 states sparked the removal of Craigslist "Adult Services" section, Newmark and company decided to slap a brilliant "censored" protest icon on the site. Today, however, as CNET and SF Appeal notes, the bar has been removed. more ›

Well, this is exciting: The Uptown, a former watering hole of grit turned scenester sardine tin, might be a local hangout for the mobile sex worker community. That is to say, it's a place where street walkers convene in between dates. At least according to Stephen Torres at Broke-Ass Stuart this is the case. Recounting a night at the bar in question, Torres says, "The prostitutes came up in conversation many times over the course of the evening, and almost every friend and acquaintance I ran into was also wondering where they were. Most assumed the probable crackdown." Never seen any hookers there, but... interesting. What say you, readers, have you encountered any ladies de la nuit at The Uptown? At your favorite pub? more ›

Polk Street corridor residents are fuming/titillated over an increase in prostitution affecting the notoriously gritty neighborhood as of late. CBS 5's Joe Vazquez has a great story on a new wave of hookers hitting the streets just as the bars close. more ›

"Unmarked Police Car Picks Up An Escort On Sutter Street" by Troy Holden. more ›

The kids at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek had a money-making scheme this past weekend. One that, for better or for worse, involved the school's water polo team wearing only regulation Speedos, standing on a street corner, and luring passersby. more ›

Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California piece of gristle who famously and fascistly told the Miss USA audience that gays should not be allowed to marry, is now suing pageant officials. Why? Because she's accusing them of "libel, slander and religious discrimination." According to CBS 5 / AP, "[t]he lawsuit claims [executive director Keith Lewis and actress and former Miss USA Shanna Moakler] both told Prejean not to mention God on her Miss USA application or at public events at least two months before she gave her anti-gay marriage answer." If you recall, Prejean was fired for being lazy, failing to show up at public appearances, brushing with Pearl Drops, or not performing whatever bizarre job duties are required of pageant winners. more ›

After City Attorney Dennis Herrera asked the city to shutdown Heaven Mini Theatre for performing lapdances without the proper permits (not to mention allowing prostitution inside its doors, just like every other SF hoochie-coochie establishment), the club owner is crying foul. Peter Lambertson claims that his North Beach club is being targeted since they're not playing ball with supposed SFPD blackmailing tactics and city-sanctioned kickback requests. more ›

Five men from Alameda and Santa Clara Counties have been taken into custody after a 10-month investigation into an online prostitution ring. All were charged pimping and pandering and are being held in Santa Clara County jail. Police are asking anyone with further info in the case to contact them at (408) 277-4322, however no info is really being given as to how you might have known these pimps or where, online, they were pandering--especially after Craigslist did away with erotic services. Presumably, if you were one of their whores, you've moved on to greener pastures and don't want to get yourself implicated... more ›

charged with aiding and abetting prostitution." Which will never, ever happen. more ›

Craigslist will get remove their pay-for-play "erotic services'' category. According to AP, the classified ad site is feeling pressure after a Boston medical student (AKA the "Craigslist Killer") was charged with killing an escort he allegedly met via Craigslist. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who championed the censoring of the controversial category, said, ""We're very encouraged that Craigslist is doing the right thing in eliminating its online red light district with prostitution and pornography in plain sight. We'll be watching and investigating critically to make sure this measure is more than just a name change." But don't get too excited just yet as this could be just a lot of hot air from a few angry AGs. As of this morning, "erotic services" remains up and going strong. more ›

Trouble has popped up in the Sunset district, with sexy results. It seems the Vicente Fitness and Health Care Center, at 1202 Vicente, which is a half a block from Dianne Feinstein Elementary School, is once again being investigated as a house of ill repute. According to reports, parents are freaking out because the spa/gym isn't what it claims to be. "I personally went in and tried to join but they said there is no fitness center there," said school parent Matt Mitguard, who did a little research of his own. Sunset resident Wei Liu also went the center and asked if the fitness center had a gym for jazzercize classes, or whatever. "The woman who worked there didn't understand what gym was," said Liu. ABC 7 has an entire rundown of the downlow whore house.While SFPD conducts an investigation, the Vicente Fitness and Health Care Center remains open, and we do mean open, for business. more ›

Yesterday was International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Regardless of your stance on prostitution, violence against sex workers, while rampant, is unacceptable. Last night there was a vigil/procession starting at City Hall to honor the day. Creative types/local sex retail activists (?) Sadie Lune, Melissa Gira, and Kirk Read were just a few of the people who showed up to remember the violence that sex workers face, and honor those who have been killed while on the job. more ›

Israel Mendez, 29, was arrested last Monday for raping prostitutes who work Mission District blocks. The first incident was on June 29 at 19th and Shotwell streets, the second on July 6 at Mariposa and 17th. From those locations, Mendez would pick up the women, drive them to an "industrial area," beat, and then rape them. The pig has been charged with kidnapping to commit rape, false imprisonment, and other assorted sexual assault crimes. (SF Crime, via CBS 5) more ›

Our sister site, DCist, brought to our attention the nationwide USASexGuide's massage parlor online guide, which allows men to freely discuss their experiences at local massage parlors while giving helpful reviews. Much to our delight, there's a San Francisco thread, which is a must-read. (To check out DCist's breakdown of all the joyous happy endings, go here.) more ›

Gangsta rap aficionado and geography major Stefanie Gray has conveniently mapped out all of Ludcris' hos from his ditty "Area Codes." Awesome. Here's just a taste of some of his ho-based area code shout outs: more ›

Seeing as how San Francisco spends $11.4 million enforcing prostitution, Supe Jake McGoldrick, according to the Examiner, "asked the city attorney to draft legislation directing San Francisco police to make prostitution one of its lowest enforcement priorities." Making the oldest profession in the world a lower priority would possibly "help curb trafficking and exploitation in the sex industry." Just dandy, right? Well, not for Newsom. more ›