Supervisor Katy Tang, who succeeded Carmen Chu to head up District 4 in February by mayoral appointment, proposed some tougher legislation today to crack down on brothels/handjob parlors fronting as massage parlors in the Sunset District. Tang says that legislation she helped craft four years ago as a legislative aide hasn't gone far enough to curb prostitution in the district.
SFGate points to one recent case in which the Health Department walked in on a masseuse at one of these businesses in flagrante delicto having sex with a customer. She was not cited for prostitution, and therefore got off with just a fine for "inappropriate attire."
The new legislation would go after business owners, requiring them to pay fines and notifying them of all violations, and banning all alcohol or non-prescription drug use in these businesses. Also, it will require masseuses to wear photo ID badges while working, and will require that massage permits be denied to anyone convicted of sexual or human trafficking crimes.
At issue, in particular, may be two businesses, which were called out by a constituent when Tang was first appointed to replace outgoing Supervisor Carmen Chu, Joyous Massage (20th and Irving) and Long Rainbow (23rd and Irving), which s/he calls "Asian brothels fronting as massage parlors." We of course can not confirm the validity of that claim.
