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ORDINANCE NO. 2195 <br />AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 6.24 MASSAGE OF THE PLEASANTON <br />MUNICIPAL CODE AND REPEAL URGENCY ORDINANCES 2182 AND 2183 <br />PROHIBITING THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIFIED APPROVALS AND PERMITS FOR <br />NEW OR EXPANDED MASSAGE ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC <br />PLAN AREA <br />THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PLEASANTON DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br />SECTION 1. FINDINGS. The City Council finds and declares as follows: <br />A. The City Council recognizes that massage is a viable professional field offering the public <br />valuable health, well-being, and therapeutic services; <br />B. The registration, operation, health, and safety requirements imposed by this Chapter are <br />reasonably necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City. <br />C. The California legislature and judiciary has recognized the necessity of imposing <br />reasonable regulations and standards for the operation of massage businesses, including, but <br />not limited to, minimum educational and experience requirements, passage of a practical <br />examination of competence, sanitary conditions, hours of operation, and other operational <br />regulations designed to ensure the protection of the health, safety, and welfare of citizens and <br />minimize opportunities for illegal activities. <br />D. There is a significant risk of injury to clients of massage businesses by improperly trained <br />or poorly educated massage practitioners. <br />E. Massage businesses have been found to present opportunities for prostitution, human <br />trafficking and other unlawful activity, and, peace officers have made arrests for prostitution and <br />human trafficking in massage businesses located throughout the Bay Area. Municipalities within <br />the Tri -Valley area, including Pleasanton, have also reported instances where prostitution has <br />occurred in massage businesses. <br />F. The presence of businesses known or reputed to be places of prostitution, human <br />trafficking, or other illegal activity can have an adverse impact on surrounding properties, may <br />result in blight, become a public nuisance, and foster further illegal activities. <br />G. The regulation of massage businesses, therefore, is reasonably necessary to protect and <br />preserve the quality of City neighborhoods and commercial districts. <br />SECTION 2. Chapter 6.24 of the City of Pleasanton Municipal Code is hereby amended <br />to read as follows: <br />Chapter 6.24 MASSAGE <br />6.24.010 PURPOSE AND INTENT. <br />A. In enacting this Chapter, the City Council recognizes that commercial massage therapy is <br />a professional pursuit which can offer the public valuable health, well-being, and therapeutic <br />services. The City Council further recognizes that, unless properly regulated, the practice of <br />massage therapy and the operation of massage businesses may pose a threat to the public's <br />health, safety, and welfare, and may be associated with unlawful activity, such as human <br />trafficking, and pose a threat to the quality of life in the community. Accordingly, it is the purpose <br />and intent of this Chapter to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare by providing for the <br />orderly regulation of businesses providing massage therapy services, discouraging prostitution, <br />