50A - ORD MASSAGE PARLORS MORATORIUM

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E. In all of calendar year 2006, the City received only seven applications for massage related permits. F. But in April of 2007 alone, the City received over twenty applications for massage related permits. G. This upswing closely followed the March 2007 raid by the Orange County District Attorney and the police departments of Orange and Anaheim of ten facilities (massage parlors or acupuncture clinics) in Anaheim, Orange, Tustin and Dana Point as being alleged fronts for prostitution. H. While some massage parlors are beneficial to the community and offer needed services, others in southern California have been associated with a number of detrimental impacts such as prostitution, late hours of operation, reduced property values and noise I. Chapter 22 of the Code, which regulates massage establishments and massage technicians and is enforced by the Police Department, has been substantially unchanged since 1976. For comparison, Anaheim, Orange and Costa Mesa have all updated their massage regulations within the last four years. J. If massage parlors are permitted in the City and left as currently regulated, they will pose a serious threat to the public interest, health, safety and welfare for the reasons stated above: K. In order to prevent frustration of said studies and the implementation thereof, the public interest, health, safety and welfare require the immediate enactment of this ordinance. The absence of this ordinance would create a serious threat to the orderly and effective implementation of any code amendments or general plan amendments which may be adopted by the city as a result of the studies in that the establishment or construction of massage parlors may be in conflict with or frustrate the contemplated updates and revisions to the Code, general plans or specific plans. Moreover, permitting massage parlors to be established or expanded, or new massage technicians to be permitted during said studies and implementation would create impacts on the public health, safety and welfare that the city council, in adopting this ordinance, has found to be unacceptable. L. The Request for Council Action for this ordinance dated May 21, 2007 and duly signed by the City Manager shall, by this reference, be incorporated herein, and together with this ordinance, any amendments or supplements, and oral testimony constitute the necessary findings for this ordinance. M. The city council finds, determines and declares that the current and immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the city and its Ordinance No. NS - XXXX Page 2 of 5 50A-4