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Attachment 1 ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 6.24 MASSAGE OF THE PLEASANTON MUNICIPAL CODE AND REPEAL URGENCY ORDINANCES 2182 AND 2183 PROHIBITING THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIFIED APPROVALS AND PERMITS FOR NEW OR EXPANDED MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN AREA THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PLEASANTON DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. FINDINGS. The City Council finds and declares as follows: A. The City Council recognizes that massage is a viable professional field offering the public valuable health, well-being, and therapeutic services; B. The registration, operation, health, and safety requirements imposed by this Chapter are reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City. C. The California legislature and judiciary has recognized the necessity of imposing reasonable regulations and standards for the operation of massage businesses, including, but not limited to, minimum educational and experience requirements, passage of a practical examination of competence, sanitary conditions, hours of operation, and other operational regulations designed to ensure the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of citizens and minimize opportunities for illegal activities. D. There is a significant risk of injury to clients of massage businesses by improperly trained or poorly educated massage practitioners. E. Massage businesses have been found to present opportunities for prostitution, human trafficking and other unlawful activity, and, peace officers have made arrests for prostitution and human trafficking in massage businesses located throughout the Bay Area. Municipalities within the Tri-Valley area, including Pleasanton, have also reported instances where prostitution has occurred in massage businesses. F. The presence of businesses known or reputed to be places of prostitution, human trafficking, or other illegal activity can have an adverse impact on surrounding properties, may result in blight, become a public nuisance, and foster further illegal activities. G. The regulation of massage businesses, therefore, is reasonably necessary to protect and preserve the quality of City neighborhoods and commercial districts. SECTION 2. Chapter 6.24 of the City of Pleasanton Municipal Code is hereby amended to read as follows: Chapter 6.24 MASSAGE 6.24.010 PURPOSE AND INTENT. A. In enacting this Chapter, the City Council recognizes that commercial massage therapy is a professional pursuit which can offer the public valuable health, well-being, and therapeutic services. The City Council further recognizes that, unless properly regulated, the practice of massage therapy and the operation of massage businesses may pose a threat to the public's health, safety, and welfare, and may be associated with unlawful activity, such as human trafficking, and pose a threat to the quality of life in the community. Accordingly, it is the purpose and intent of this Chapter to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare by providing for the orderly regulation of businesses providing massage therapy services, discouraging prostitution, 1