Mr. Jim Larkin Chairman and CEO Village Voice Media P.O.

Box 2510 Phoenix, AZ 85502 Dear Mr. Larkin: As mayor of Chico, California protecting our citys youth is a top priority for my administration. Experts estimate that at least 100,000 children are victimized through domestic minor sex trafficking every year in our country. Albuquerque has a zero tolerance approach to sex trafficking, and I refuse to condone the operation of any business that profits from this criminal activity. Websites and print publications like the Adult section of Village Voice Medias Backpage.com provide accessibility and anonymity for men purchasing sex. Fifty-one Attorneys General have called on you to shut down the Adult section of Backpage.com and clearly explain your methodology for screening advertisements. Fifty-three anti-trafficking experts and organizations across the nation advocating on behalf of trafficked women and children have asked you to remove the Adult section of Backpage.com. Thirty-six faith leaders from multiple denominations presented you with a joint letter imploring you to take down the Adult section of Backpage.com. Law enforcement and even child victims of domestic minor sex trafficking that have been bought and sold through your website have asked you to shut it down. Despite attempts by these experts and coalitions to make you aware of illicit activity, you have refused to adequately reform the site to ensure that no trafficked woman or child is commercially sexually exploited through the Adult section of Backpage.com. The Chico News & Review, a publication that utilizes Village Voice Media to post classified and advertisements, is published in Chico. Following the precedent set by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, I, along with mayors across the country, call on you to make the right decision and shut down Backpage.coms Adult section until you can say undoubtedly that no women or children are being trafficked through your websites or publications. As Mayor of Chico, a city that that encourages thriving businesses and a robust economy, I would like to invite you to meet with me and discuss what you are doing to protect our children. Sincerely,

Mayor Ann Schwab Chico, California cc: Village Voice Media Board of Directors Mr. Samuel Fifer, Counsel for Backpage.com, LLC