Melody is a prostitute, and she has good reason to worry about getting arrested. Last year, the Valley had the dubious distinction of being home to the four Los Angeles Police Department divisions that reported the highest numbers of sex-related crimes. That has brought the patrol cars and vice investigators out in force. The merchants group recently met with vice officers to push for a crackdown on prostitution. When prostitution in Los Angeles comes to mind, people think Hollywood. If talk-show hosts tell a joke about streetwalkers here, chances are Sunset Boulevard will be mentioned, not the Valley.
Prostitutes have worked the busy corners and cheap motels of Sepulveda Boulevard for years. But the days when the sidewalks were crawling day and night with scantily dressed women appear gone.
One can still find a hooker on Sepulveda, but it takes a little effort. On a Friday night, a construction worker stands in front of the Pink Cloud Motel in North Hills, looking up and down the street. Alone on a hard bed with one porno channel and an array of offensive odors.
If Marcos had stayed out a bit longer, he would have found what he was looking for. He would have spotted Melody, who so far had managed to avoid arrest. The manager of the Pink Cloud said that prostitution at the motel was a problem several years ago, but has since ended. Like the other motels on the Sepulveda strip, the Pink Cloud has posted a sign stating that prostitutes and their customers are not allowed.
The bureau with the next-highest number of those offenses, Central, had 1, The busiest Valley divisions for sex offenses were Van Nuys and Devonshire , both of which cover the Sepulveda strip.
