La Mirada~In October 2011, the State of California enacted a law (AB 619) that eliminated the City’s ability to regulate massage establishments. It also created a new regulatory entity, the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), which was given tremendous oversight authority over these businesses.

Since the creation of CAMTC, many cities, including La Mirada have experienced a significant increase in the number of massage establishments in their communities. The number of massage establishment’s in La Mirada increased from one in 2011 to eight currently operating.

“Instead of professionalizing massage therapists, the legislation unfortunately created a way for massage establishments to proliferate because cities were effectively prevented from regulating them.” says Senior Administrative Analyst Mark Rounds.

In response to local government leaders calling on State Legislature to repeal the 2011 law, the State enacted Assembly Bill 1147, which restored some of the land use used in regulating massage establishments. The bill became effective January 1, 2015.

The new changes must be made in the form of municipal code amendments, which require additional time for consideration. As a result, the City Council recently approved a temporary moratorium, which will expire in approximately 10 months, on the establishment of any new massage business until the necessary code amendments can be made.