S.F. takes aim at massage-parlor brothels
SAN FRANCISCO
Very confusing Text to follow Underneath a picture that is neither MY MOTHER OR MY STEPFATHER nor any identify to the Polo in the Park organization that is always sponsored by Horses in California, Inc., also founded by My Mother and My Stepfather primary.
found courtesy of http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-takes-aim-at-massage-parlor-brothels-3166872.php
left to rt, Hugh Meakin, Supervisor Carmen Chu, and Melba Meakin Polo in the Park, sponsored by Horses in California, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing equestrian-related arts and physical wellness to the Bay Area, raised funds for the James S. Brady Therapeutic Riding Program, which offers horseback-riding and horsemanship lessons as a physical or psychological therapy alternative to children who suffer from autism, cerebral palsy, muscle weakness, sight and hearing impairment and learning disabilities in the Bay Area.
Photo: Penni Gladstone, Special To The Chronicle
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Carmen Chu plan to introduce a package of legislation as early as today aimed at stopping brothels from operating as city-licensed massage businesses.
Meanwhile, the city's Department of Public Health, which regulates massage parlors, will allow vice squad officers to testify at permit hearings against massage parlors where prostitution and other crimes are suspected, Chu said. The decision could make it easier to close the 50 or so city-licensed parlors suspected of selling sex.
The proposed changes follow a Chronicle investigation that showed the city for years has been unable to close the brothels that openly operate in many neighborhoods. The city has been hampered by a lack of legal resources, only one massage inspector for 150 establishments and a long history of ambivalence toward prostitution.
On Jan. 28, Chu announced that she had asked the city attorney's office to review massage parlor licensing laws after a police bust in the Sunset District, which she represents. Vice cops said that a health club, located half a block from an elementary school, was actually a prostitution den.
"We tried to bring the different departments together to help solve this problem," Chu said. "It's a package that tackles the issue from different angles and we think it's a great start."
Prostitution has long lurked in San Francisco's health clubs, parlors and even private homes.
Some of the so-called spas often have bathtubs, wall-to-wall mirrors and scantily clad women. In some places, the women are willing participants; however, San Francisco also is a sex-trafficking hub where women are forced into prostitution.
Newsom's office said Monday that his proposed legislation generally would increase civil penalties for massage permit violations, such as businesses that employ masseuses who wear revealing clothing. It would also make it easier to revoke permits and prohibit parlors from operating between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., the mayor's office said.
Certain violations, such as operating after hours and employing unlicensed or underage masseuses, could result in misdemeanors charges, with jail time up to six months and a $1,000 fine, under Newsom's proposal. A fee could be imposed on parlors that require reinspections after code violations are found.
Chu's legislation calls for special city approval of any business that wants to provide massage therapy as an accessory to its main service. A shop designated as a nail salon, for instance, would have to apply to the city's Planning Commission for the ability to offer massage services. The company would also undergo public hearings and be forced to prove that the service was necessary, desirable and appropriate for the neighborhood.
The health department is in charge of licensing and inspecting massage businesses and enforcing rules. In January, Health department Director Mitch Katz said that it was the agency's job to look for health code violations, not stop prostitution.
Under current laws, a hearing officer may revoke an owner's permit for a single health code violation. However, the hearing officer, who also is a health department employee, has broad discretion and revocations have been rare.
The Police Department conducts investigations of massage houses based on complaints, and undercover officers issued 17 arrests for soliciting sex in licensed parlors last year. But the crime is commonly charged as a misdemeanor and convictions are uncommon.
Under the health department changes that Chu described, officers involved in the busts will be allowed to testify at the permit-revocation hearings, which means the department won't have to wait for a criminal conviction.
None of the proposed changes address the fact that the health department only has one employee dedicated inspecting massage businesses and little money to fight legal battles against massage parlor owners who want to retain their licenses.
Officials at the health department did not return calls for comment Monday.