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Huntington Beach cracks down on massage parlor prostitution
Monday night, the Huntington Beach city council will consider cutting the number of massage operators there down to 30 after allegations of prostitution.
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Huntington Beach cracks down on massage parlor prostitution
It may soon be a little harder to find a massage parlor in Huntington Beach. Monday night, its city council will consider cutting the number of massage operators there down to 30 from its current tally of more than 60.
A city report says the Huntington Beach Police have determined that many of the newer operations are fronts for prostitution.
In early May, police and other agencies (including the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force) inspected 19 massage parlors. They found various violations in 17 of the 19, including employees engaging in unprotected sex with clients.
The city says that nearly all of the women arrested for prostitution at massage parlors in Huntington Beach were Asian immigrants, leading to concerns about human trafficking.
The proposed ordinance would also prohibit the renewal of a massage parlor’s business license, depending on the nature and number of its criminal and other violations.
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