http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/us/california-today-oakland-prostitution.html 2016-09-16 15:10:16 California Today: A ‘See Something-Say Something’ Prostitution Plan Friday: Oakland fights the sex trade with reportjohn.org, the government and 45,000 wild horses out West, and colorful crosswalks. === Good morning. Welcome to California Today, a Tell us about the Want to receive California Today by email? Thomas Fuller Oakland hosts millions of visitors every year for its sports events, thriving restaurant scene and growing technology businesses. The city also gets lots of out-of-town johns who prowl the streets for sex. Of the 660 arrests made last year for prostitution in Oakland, more than two-thirds of the suspects came from outside the city. On Saturday, Oakland is taking an unconventional step in fighting its image as one of America’s most crime-ridden cities, introducing a website, Residents will be encouraged to note down the license plate numbers of suspected johns’ vehicles and describe the specific activity they witnessed. The sightings are uploaded to the police, who will send a letter to the address where the vehicle is registered. Karely Ordaz Salto, the chairwoman of the city’s Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Task Force, says Oakland is the first city to target johns in this way. “The hope is that they will think twice and this will deter them,” said Lt. Jill Encinias of the Oakland Police Department. “We really need to attack this problem from all sides. We need to start focusing on the demand.” The first question in the online form gets straight to the point: “Do you have any photos of the activity?” The city’s problem with prostitution, and especially the involvement of girls, has been underscored this year by a The predecessor to Although the program could conceivably lead to foul play — vendettas by jilted lovers or disgruntled neighbors come to mind — Lieutenant Encinias said there had been no signs of false reporting in the Dear John program. That said, stay tuned for reaction from civil liberties groups. “This has historically been something that people thought they could do in the shadows,” said Erica Terry Derryck, a spokeswoman for Mayor Libby Schaaf. “The intent is to put people on notice.” • No, the federal government does not have plans to • Regulators proposed leaving more water for struggling fish in the • A look at three multimillionaires influencing • What life is like behind bars for prisoner 1027820, also known as • A crucial vote advanced a plan to • The • A small farming city in Central California is facing a • From classic American fare to Thai restaurants and Mexican taquerias, • As • An annual Who couldn’t use a little more color in their day? That’s the idea behind two new eye-popping crosswalk designs in downtown Santa Monica. The city hired The Federal Highway Administration actually Long Beach One of the designs fills the entire intersection at one of the city’s 12 new “ Counter to the government’s recommendations, Ms. Farrell suggested that the bright colors would improve safety by catching drivers’ attention. One has to wonder, though, how long the sheen will hold up under an unending march of vehicle tires and footsteps. “Upkeep is something we’re monitoring,” Ms. Farrell said. California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: The California Today columnist, Mike McPhate, is a third-generation Californian — born outside Sacramento and raised in San Juan Capistrano. He lives in Davis. California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and attended U.C. Berkeley.