Massage parlors get go ahead in Walnut
WALNUT - After 90 minutes of testimony and arguing among City Council members, an effort to temporarily ban massage parlors failed Wednesday.

Mayor Tom King asked the City Council to consider the ban to ensure that future massage businesses have medical oversight, such as on-site doctors, chiropractors or physical therapists.

The measure required four votes to become law.

King and council members Nancy Tragarz, Tony Cartagena voted for the moratorium. Councilman Joaquin Lim voted against it. And Councilwoman Mary Su abstained.

King said he was concerned about the possible proliferation of the businesses and that they may become hosts of illegal activity, such as prostitution, citing a crackdown in Arcadia.

The 45-day moratorium would ban the opening of any new body-treatment or massage-related businesses, such as acupuncture, chiropractic, bath, massage or other similar shops.

"I'm not against massage parlors," King said. "I just want it be in conjunction with medical treatment."

A previous massage business in Walnut was shut down by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, King said.

Currently, the city doesn't have any licensed massage technicians or managers, according to city officials. Two businesses have conditional use permits to run massage-related shops but aren't operating, city official said.

One proposed business, Stress Busters on Lemon Avenue just south of La Puente Road, was approved by a 3-0 vote by the city's planning commission in December.

A conditional use permit, however, is tied to a location and not the store. If a shop closes, another business can open under the permit.

King said he was worried a less-reputable shop can replace a legitimate one.

"I think the moratorium was presented as a urgency," said Councilman Joaquin Lim, who voted against the ban but isn't against massage-related regulations. "But I didn't see a sense of urgency."

Some residents spoke out during Wednesday's City Council meeting, arguing that massage businesses can lead to immoral activities.

One man vowed not to bring a youth sports team he coaches to a pizza parlor adjacent to the site of the proposed massage business.

Su proposed addressing the regulation of massage businesses at a later date in order to give city officials time to see how recent state legislation would affect potential city regulation.

King also called for a hearing to discuss the granting of the permit to Stress Buster, but that effort also failed when it failed to garner three votes.