“Top Class Sauna Massage” (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) by Tommi Komulainen / Cropped from original
Late-night nude massages in seedy parlors could soon be relegated to Redding’s tawdry past following City Council action Tuesday aimed at curbing sex trafficking.
The council voted 4-0, with Councilwoman Francie Sullivan absent, to adopt an ordinance providing strict standards on the operation of massage parlors in Redding.
The ordinance stops short of requiring all massage providers be certified by the California Massage Therapy Council, but it does require all masseuses undergo background checks and fingerprinting by Redding police.
Additionally, hours of operation are limited to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and nobody is permitted to be onsite after 11 p.m. City Attorney Barry DeWalt, who drafted the ordinance, said the limit on hours is intended to discourage late-night sales of sex acts and the housing—usually under duress—of victims of sex trafficking.
Operators are prohibited from giving massages unless the provider’s genitalia, and those of the client, are fully covered. No person may make, or offer to make, contact with the genitalia of either client or massage provider, DeWalt said.
Ordinance violations can be prosecuted as misdemeanors.
Property owners and property managers also are on notice for any violations that occur on their property. In cases where a violation has occurred, the offending property cannot be used as a massage parlor for three years. DeWalt initially proposed a six-month moratorium but Councilman Brent Weaver lobbied for the increase. Mayor Missy McArthur even inquired about the practicality of a lifetime ban.
DeWalt said that provision eliminates “shell game” situations where the offending party and landowner continue an illicit massage business but under a different name or owner.
Margaret Hansen, a certified massage therapist and instructor, defended massage as a legitimate healing modality that has been stigmatized by illicit operators who use the term as a “smoke screen” to hide illegal practices.
She said she had some experience working next door to a “massage brothel” and said the problem is a serious one. “They play for keeps,” she said.
The issue came to light in January when Matt Moseley, the co-founder of the Northern California Anti-Trafficking Coalition, told the council that sex trafficking was occurring in hotels and massage parlors.
The council directed DeWalt to look into the matter and develop an ordinance. The attorney said a simple internet search revealed dozens of massage parlors that were not only advertising nude and/or exotic massages, but encouraging customers to rate the services provided.
“It seems very evident that sexual services are being sold,” DeWalt said.
A working group formed to help draft the ordinance met on a weekly basis before coming up with a law a consensus of the members agreed with, DeWalt said. Group members included Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti; Moseley; Deputy City Attorney Jake Baldwin;, Verity Foster, a certified massage therapist; Theresa Youngblood, a non-certified massage therapist; and Cari Everett-Fisher, the owner of Spa Fleur de Lis.
“In total, the working group is pleased to recommend the adoption of the proposed ordinance as a positive first step in reducing incidences of sex trafficking and prostitution within the City of Redding,” DeWalt said in his report to the council.
The ordinance will have its second reading at the council’s June 21 meeting and go into effect 30 days after that.
Downtown development update
In other action Tuesday, the council:
–Learned that the city and K2 Land and Investment, the developer interested in demolishing the downtown Dicker’s building and replacing it with a four-story mixed-use project, cleared a key hurdle in the search for $20 million in grant funding.
Some $320 million is up for grabs through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) grant program and 130 proposals were received. Of those, 83 were selected and invited to submit full applications to compete for the funds. The Redding/K2 proposal was one of the 83.
The council voted 3-0, with Councilman Weaver abstaining and Councilwoman Sullivan absent, to file the full grant application. Awards are expected to be announced in September. The total project cost is $37 million. The remaining funds are proposed to come from a combination of public and private loans and tax-exempt financing.
If the application is successful, it would clear the way for an ambitious project to replace the old Dicker’s building with a four-story, mixed-use hub of affordable housing and retail. The project would also mean a section of The Market Street Promenade in downtown Redding would reopen to vehicle traffic.
While that part of the project is an acknowledgment of Redding’s car-centric nature, another part entails tying the project to the “Distelhorst to Downtown” trail system to attract more bicyclists and pedestrians to the downtown area.
The AHSC funding is intended “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through projects that implement land use, housing, transportation, and agricultural land preservation practices to support infill and compact development…”
Project proponents, including John Truitt, executive director of Viva Downtown, view it as a perfect fit for downtown Redding and a as a catalyst for continued redevelopment.
