The Public Safety Subcommittee of the Santa Rosa City Council met on October 15, 2024, to discuss illicit massage establishments, violence reduction strategies, and the Measure H implementation plan. The meeting featured presentations from the Police and Fire Departments, public testimony, and committee discussion.
The meeting, chaired by Jeff Okrepkie, was called to order at 9:03 a.m. and adjourned at 10:23 a.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for January 21, 2025.
Good morning. I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on the Spanish channel to commence interpretation of the meeting. For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation in Spanish is available, and members of the public or staff wishing to listen in Spanish can join the Spanish channel by clipping clicking on the interpretation icon in the Zoom toolbar. It looks like a globe. Nobody's moving. So we will go ahead and uh close public comment on uh non-agenda items and move to the new business item six, and we will start with 6.1 illicit massage establishments, and that will be uh PED and police, good morning, Chair and members of the committee, Gabe Osburn, Director of Planning and Economic Development. Um, and joining me today, uh, in addition to Chief Cregan is Danielle Debaca, a senior code officer in our code enforcement division, and Lou Kirk to my right, who is our assistant chief building official. Um I'd like to kick this item off with just a really quick overview of what um were our goals today for the presentation. Um the department has actually been working on modifications to the policies, procedures, and codes that are associated with the enforcement of illicit massage. Um, this would apply to massage in general, so it's fairly standard. Um, one of the challenges as we go through this, we do have code sections that exist that do provide the ability to enforce, and um some of the conversations today will be about enforcement when Chief Cregan uh does his overview. Um what we're looking at is how we can more effectively enforce. And I think the important balance is any time we have an illicit component to a legitimate business. It's understanding the balance from a regulation standpoint for the legitimate operations that are performing massage. We do not want to overly regulate, but we also want to provide the enforcement tools needed to ensure that we can do regular enforcement, um, proactive enforcement on some of these uses. So our goal today is to really daylight some of the components that we're working on. Um, from a timeline standpoint, this will really be a two-step process. We will be going to the planning commission because our proposals will involve changes to the zoning code. And we will also be going to the full council for adoption. Um we're looking at going to the planning commission closer to the end of this calendar year and to the full council first quarter of next year. Um with that, I would like to hand the presentation over to Mr. Kirk, who will go through the slides. Good morning. And actually, I in turn I'm going to hand off to uh my senior code enforcement officer Daniela Debaca. She's been tasked with uh leading the code enforcement side of this uh multi-departmental effort, and um my role really is to help get the ordinance up and running and to provide support to her efforts and to the chief's efforts. So with that, I'm gonna hand over to Daniela and uh I will advance the slides for you. Good morning. As you may know, the current ordinance was adopted in 2010 and has since become outdated, failing to address the evolving landscape of massage therapy and the challenges we faced with illicit mass uh with illicit operations. The existing ordinance thank you. The existing ordinance primarily focuses on business licensing and revenue generation with comparatively limited regulation and enforcement. Over time, this has contributed with the proliferation of illicit massage establishments in our city, posing significant risks to public health, safety, and quality of life. Changes in state laws over the last several years have further highlighted the need for a more comprehensive and up-to-date ordinance. The proposed update aims to align our city's regulations with these changes and address the concerns of our community. State laws have prioritized public health and safety through the introduction of stricter regulations for massage practitioners and establishments, promoting professionalization within the field, strengthening licensing requirements, and adherence to specific standards of practice. These efforts have served to integrate massage therapy into a broader health care landscape, recognizing its potential benefits when provided in a professional and regulated setting. Further, the state has increased the authority and autonomy of local jurisdictions to regulate massage establishments, empowering cities to tailor their ordinances to meet the specific needs of our community. And lastly, as we will explore in greater detail in the following slide, the state established a private nonprofit public benefit corporation providing statewide regulation and certification processes benefiting the public. A key component of our proposed ordinance is the integration of the California Massage Therapy Council, referred to as CAMTEC. It's established by the state legislature to play crucial role in regulating massage therapy by approving massage schools, overseeing a certification program, and ensuring that certified professionals meet required training standards. They also have the ability to apply disciplinary actions, including licenses, suspension or revocation of bad actors. By leveraging Camtech resources, the proposed ordinance will establish clear criteria for the approval and permitting of massage practitioners and establishments. It will also outline specific requirements for practitioner codes of conduct and material standards, ensuring that operations are conducted in a safe and ethical manner. To enhance enforcement capabilities, deter illicit operations, and hold bad actors accountable, the ordinance will establish a robust and effective regulatory framework for massage establishments with provisions for proactive inspections, revocation procedures, and penalties for noncompliance. The ordinance will also recognize the need to provide provisional relief to existing establishments that are currently operating in good faith and complying with existing regulations, ensuring a smooth and minimally impactful transition to the new ordinance. The finalization of the draft ordinance is underway and is projected to be complete by the end of this year. We anticipate presenting it to the planning commission for review no later than January 2025. Following the recommendations, the ordinance will be presented to the City Council for consideration no later than February 2025. Staff and community input is invaluable in shaping a regulatory framework that meets the needs of our city. Staff will continue to encourage participation in the review process and look forward to receiving feedback on the proposed ordinance. By working together, we can create a more regulated and responsible environment for massage establishments in our city, benefiting both consumers and businesses alike.