San Jose Cracking Down On Massage Parlors Suspected Of Being Fronts For Prostitution
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – A San Jose massage parlor whose employees "propositioned" a customer has closed after the Santa Clara County prosecutors and sheriff's deputies used a new state law to crackdown on parlors that might be fronts for prostitution, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
The Rose Massage on Bascom Avenue shut its doors earlier this month after the owner failed to apply for a permit with the sheriff's office under a law that went into effect on Jan. 1, Deputy District Attorney Alisha Schoen said.
The sheriff's office had earlier received a tip from a person who went to the Rose Massage for a legal rub down but then was "heavily propositioned by scantly-clad women," Schoen said.
Assembly Bill 1147, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 18, allows local governments to require proprietors of massage establishments to apply for permits that provide "relevant information" to authorities, according to the California Legislative Information website.
Schoen said that the county decided to order massage parlor owners to apply for a permit with the sheriff's office that would include a background check and give the sheriff's deputies the authority to approve or reject the applications.
The reason for the permit law "is to make sure that these businesses are not operating as fronts for prostitution" and any massage business in the county that cannot or will not obtain the sheriff's permit "should close today," she said.
The district attorney's office recently sent out notifications to 56 massage businesses with the postal zip codes 95126 or 95128 in unincorporated county areas informing them that they must apply for a sheriff's permit, she said.
The county has an ordinance that applies to massage places and prosecutors opted to begin the crackdown on businesses in unincorporated areas rather than cities, she said.
Massage business that gain a sheriff's permit must also obtain standard business permits and zoning approvals before they may legally operate, she said.
Schoen said that she is unsure exactly how many massage parlors are in unincorporated county areas but there are an estimated 170 within San Jose city limits and the city is currently working on an ordinance of its own to oversee the establishments, she said.
Not all massage businesses operate as brothels, she said, but there are about 40,000 nationwide that serve as fronts for prostitution.
Those that are running as fronts for illegal sexual services tend to have "red flags" such as having covered or opaque windows, late hours of operation, parking in the rear only, security cameras to screen those who enter, a locked door and buzzer and scantly-clad female employees, according to Schoen.
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