Ventura's massage industry to face more scrutiny under proposed revisions - Ventura...

[massage]

By Arlene Martinez, [email protected]

Posted: Yesterday 5:09 p.m. 0

Massage professionals can weigh in on a draft ordinance that changes the way the businesses open and operate in Ventura. The revisions are designed to deter illicit activity from taking place under the guise of a legitimate establishment.

City officials are holding the meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday at City Hall.

Since Jan. 1, 2015, when a state law returned regulating authority to local jurisdictions, Ventura hasn't allowed new massage establishments to open or old ones to expand. The City Council approved the moratoriums to allow staff time to prepare the new regulations.

A 2008 state law set the stage for the current landscape in the industry. That's when the state assumed control of regulating the businesses. Within five years, the number of massage establishments in Ventura had doubled to 68 though it has since gone down, the draft ordinance states.

"Currently, the city has 54 massage businesses in commercial locations, with 22 or 41 percent of them concentrated on Main Street, the city's premier retail corridor," it says.

With that growth came issues including suspected prostitution, sex trafficking and other criminal activities, police and city officials have said.

The city saw issues that included "persons running out the back door upon police contact, inappropriately dressed massage professionals, operating beyond approved hours of operation, persons using the establishment as a residence, and illegal signage," the ordinance says.

The proposed ordinance strengthens what's required of the businesses to open and stay open through a variety of land-use and zoning rules.

Under the proposal, a massage location cannot open within 500 feet of another, though existing businesses that don't meet this requirement are exempt. An owner must provide five years worth of employment history, a list of all services to be provided and a floor plan that includes measurements of each room and their uses. An owner must have proof of workers' compensation insurance.

It requires those who work in a massage place to be dressed appropriately — no swimwear or see-through clothing — and bans people from living on site. The ordinance explicitly bans any sexual conduct.

The city can reject a license if a prospective owner fails to provide proper employment verification, or put a request on hold pending the outcome of existing prosecution and evidence of prostitution.

Want to see a copy of the draft ordinance? Go to http://bit.ly/1QRODko

Thursday's meeting is at 501 Poli St. and is open to massage professionals, property owners and anyone else interested.

Let's block ads! (Why?)