‘The Village’ project clears key obstacle
Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the second and final readings of ordinances approved by the City Council. Second readings are held without public comment, although the issues have been discussed, often at length, during prior City Council meetings.
CITY HALL Citing a concern in the increasing presence of massage parlors fronting as brothels, the City Council on Tuesday adopted more stringent regulations to keep illicit sexual activities under control.
The new regulation, one of four ordinances adopted on second reading, will mandate that all technicians seeking a permit in Santa Monica be fingerprinted, a requirement that exists in all other Southern California cities with a massage law.
The stricter city code comes in response to complaints from residents about the alleged illegal sexual activity, most commonly prostitution, taking place at several area massage parlors. The Ocean Park Association recently endorsed the proposed ordinance, pointing to parlors that they believe may be operating as brothels along Lincoln Boulevard.
The Santa Monica Police Department estimates that approximately 25 percent of massage businesses engage in illegal practices. Police have shut down about 10 businesses in the past several years, four of which had a massage license.
City officials said the absence of a fingerprint requirement could have contributed to the prevalence of brothels in Santa Monica. The former massage regulation required that technicians with less than 300 hours of training be fingerprinted, leading to only 12 percent of licensed technicians having their prints on record.
The new ordinance will be in effect 30 days from council adoption.
Rendering courtesy Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners COMING SOON: ‘The Village,’ a development in the Civic Center area, took a leap toward realization after the City Council modified zoning laws to allow the project to move forward. includes shared parking and a $700,000 payment for transit enhancements.
The building is expected to be LEED certified, a designation used for green projects by the U.S. Green Building Council.
While the project has been lauded for increasing the much needed affordable housing stock in the city, it has also received its fair share of criticism for the building’s mass.
Among the dissidents was Councilmember Bobby Shriver, who voted against the project, saying that while he appreciated the amount of effort put into the designs, he believes the buildings are still too big.
The ordinance will take effect in less than 30 days.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 30, 2008. Read the original PDF.