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BACKGROUND Statewide Regulation In 1976, the State of California adopted a law (Government Code Chapter 6, Massage, §§51030-51034) that allowed cities and counties to enact laws to regulate massage businesses through licensing. The issuance of a local license to engage in a massage business could be conditioned on the business meeting reasonable standards relating to the massage personnel's education, experience, and passage of a competency exam as well as the business's operations. In 2008, the State Legislature adopted the Massage Therapy Act (Senate Bill 731) to establish voluntary statewide certification for massage practitioners and therapists. The Massage Therapy Act created what is known now as the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), a private, nonprofit public benefit corporation. Although CAMTC is not a branch of the California State government, it is required to create and implement voluntary statewide certification for massage therapy practitioners, approve massage schools and ensure that certified massage therapy practitioners adhere to education and practice standards and do not engage in unprofessional conduct and illicit activities. CAMTC has statutory authority to deny, suspend or revoke massage certification for massage practitioners. CAMTC has an enforcement unit that investigates the conduct of CAMTC certificate applicants and holders. It also works with municipalities and law enforcement, like the Pleasanton Police Department and City Attorney's Office, to curtail unlawful and unprofessional conduct of CAMTC certified massage therapists. When the Massage Therapy Act was enacted in 2008, it preempted most local land use and operational regulations relating to massage therapists certified by CAMTC and massage establishments that exclusively employed certified massage therapists. In 2012, the Massage Therapy Act was amended to further limit local government authority to regulate massage. After the Massage Therapy Act went into effect, California experienced dramatic growth in the number of massage businesses as well as increased complaints regarding massage businesses and crimes involving massage businesses. In response, municipalities urged statewide legislative reform. In 2014, the State Legislature amended the Massage Therapy Act to permit local authorities to adopt reasonable health and safety and business license requirements for massage establishments and practitioners. Additionally, municipalities could once again exercise broad authority to regulate massage facilities as a land use, including through conditional use permits. The Massage Therapy Act now allows local governments to regulate massage businesses in the best interests of their individual communities. The Massage Therapy Act also directs local governments to give strong consideration to establishing massage business registration programs that grant local governments the ability, for specific law violations, to suspend or revoke the registration of a massage business. The Massage Therapy Act is set to remain in effect until January 2021 , unless extended. Page 2 of 6