Simi moves to revoke licenses of one-third of city's massage ... - Ventura County Star

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Simi Valley City Hall.(Photo: STAR FILE PHOTO)


Simi Valley has revoked or is trying to revoke the licenses of about one-third of the city's 31 massage establishments for a variety of alleged violations, including prohibited sexual conduct.

As of last week, four of the businesses have closed after having their licenses revoked, the city said. A fifth has had its license revoked, but has not yet closed, according to the city.

Eight other massage businesses are appealing their pending revocations to Interim Simi Valley Police Chief Dave Livingstone, said Lorri Hammer, principal planner/zoning administrator for the city's environmental services department. Police issue the permits and conduct code compliance checks.

The 18 other massage establishments in Simi Valley remain on active status. Many massage businesses are legitimate ones that operate up to code, police say.

The city is, however, trying to revoke the license of one of 23 "off-premises" massage business owners — independent contractors who do outcall or perhaps operate out of a doctor's office or a spa that isn't a massage establishment, Hammer said. Such independent operators may also be the owner of an off-premises massage business but isn't an actual practitioner, she said.

As of December, more than 160 violations of the Simi Valley Municipal Code have been committed by massage business workers and owners, police allege. The Simi Valley City Attorney's Office has filed cases against them.

"These violations include the use of unlicensed and unregistered massage professionals, failure to follow operations requirements for health and safety, and prohibited conduct of a sexual nature," stated an urgency ordinance the City Council adopted Dec. 5, the second aimed at massage businesses in about six months. "Such violations show the continued potential for illicit activity and operations that may include prostitution, trafficking or other unlawful activity.

"The City Council recognizes that the oversaturation of massage establishments changes the character of a neighborhood, causes blight, and concentration of land uses and associated illicit activities impact the quality of life, health and safety for residents ... as evidenced by over 160 charges issued in inspection and enforcement efforts," the ordinance stated.

Even so, the council let a 2015 moratorium on applications for new massage businesses expire on Jan. 12.


SIMIVALLEY

City of Simi Valley : Massage Permits


Massage businesses — legitimate and illicit — mushroomed in Simi Valley, Ventura County and throughout California under a 2009 state law that took away much local control to regulate them.

The law was repealed effective Jan. 1, 2015, returning some regulatory control of the businesses to local governments. In response, Simi Valley later that month enacted a moratorium on new massage businesses. In August 2015, the council enacted new rules and standards for massage establishments.

Simi Valley Police Deputy Chief Joseph May said Friday that the return of some local control enabled police to start conducting more stringent compliance checks of the businesses.

"We've done the compliance checks for years," he said. "We just didn't have a lot of teeth in the stuff that we did until we changed our ordinance after cities were allowed to take control again."

"As an agency that is designed to consider public safety in everything we do, we're obviously concerned about massage parlors that are active in illicit activity," he said. "One of the underlying concerns obviously is prostitution, human trafficking and that type of activity."

Other massage businesses, he emphasized, are "well known bonafide massage locations that are never a source of illegal activity."

The Dec. 5 urgency ordinance was adopted in response to a new state law that prohibits cities from performing independent background investigations of massage practitioners who are licensed by the California Massage Therapy Council and who are also business owners, stated a memo to the City Council prepared by Hammer and Police Cmdr. Stephanie Shannon.

The ordinance, in part, updates the city municipal code to clarify that owners, operators and managers of massage businesses are strictly liable for criminal conduct at their establishments.

Ahmos Netanel, CEO of the massage council, said his group supports cities' efforts to "make sure that all businesses in their jurisdiction are complying with high professional standards.

"I can definitely say that the vast majority of certified massage professionals in California are highly professional, dedicated individuals who work diligently to provide important health services to the public," he said.

Staff writer Megan Diskin contributed to this story.

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