County to discuss new massage parlor requirements to prevent human trafficking

Seal of Los Angeles County.
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled Tuesday to consider new requirements for massage establishments to help prevent human trafficking, according to county officials.

The county massage establishment ordinance would affect the unincorporated areas of the county, which include Castaic and Stevenson Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The ordinance addresses a top priority of the county, which is preventing human trafficking, according to County Counsel Mary C. Wickham in a letter to the supervisors.

“The purpose and intent of the ordinance is to recognize that when operated professionally and legally, massage establishments provide valuable health and therapeutic services to the public,” Wickham’s letter said. “However, it also recognizes that massage establishments have a history of illegal activities.”

Additionally, massage businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county will be required to possess both a business license and a public health permit if the ordinance is passed, according to a Public Health news release.

There will also be set requirements for massage tables and sanitation of linens and posting of a notice regarding slavery and human trafficking in their businesses.

“Existing massage businesses would need to meet the new requirements of the ordinance by July 2,” the release adds.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration on West Temple Street.

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