CITY OF
CHULA VISTA Police Department
October 26, 2022
Dear Community Partner (or Massage Business Permittee):
The Chula Vista Police Department is updating its massage ordinance. The most important change is that massage technicians must have a certificate from the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC).
The CAMTC was established in the Massage Therapy Act (Act). (Cal. Business and Professions Code section 4600 et seq.) The CAMTC is a non-profit organization that establishes professional standards, approves massage school programs, and provides a voluntary certification process for massage professionals. CAMT certification is the only credential for massage professionals recognized by state law. The CAMTC certificate, valid for two years, allows a massage professional to work anywhere in California and is often required by employers. Although a CAMT certificate is voluntary and is not required by state law in order to practice massage in California, many cities and counties require CATC certification. For certification, a person must be 18 years old, complete 500 hours of study from an approved school and pass a backgrounds check, which includes fingerprinting for criminal convictions.
The CAMTC may investigate consumer complaints against certified massage professionals and take action, such as suspending or revoking a certificate, when appropriate. The CAMTC may also suspend or revoke a certificate based on unlawful activity such as prostitution. For more information on the CAMTC, please see their website at www.camtc.org
We believe CAMTC certification enhances the professionalism of massage therapy and protects the public's health, welfare, and safety by discouraging illegal activity such as prostitution and human trafficking.
Enclosed is the draft ordinance. Please read it carefully. We would like to hear your comments and questions and will consider them in making changes to the draft ordinance. Please submit your comments and questions by December 4, 2022 to Jason Edlin, Detective at 619-476-2398, [email protected].
When the ordinance is final, we will ask the Chula Vista City Council to approve it. We anticipate going to Council the month of December. Please email [email protected] if you would like to be notified of the Council date. We encourage you to attend the Council meeting, which is open to the public, and/or submit e-comments on the ordinance.
Please see answers to anticipated questions below:
Q: Will the massage permit fee remain the same?
A: Yes, there is no change to the $1400.00 for new permits or $1150.00 for renewals at this time.
Q: Will you offer a grace period for currently employed technicians to get a CAMTC certificate? A: Yes, the City will allow a 6 month grace period after the ordinance is enacted to allow currently employed massage technicians to get a CAMTC certificate before enforcing this requirement.
Q: Will the massage business hours of operation remain the same in the proposed ordinance? 315 Fourth Avenue, -hilait, A 1910 www.-hulavitapd.org 1691-5150 fax (619) 585-5610 Chula Vista Police Department
Y: Yes, the current hours of permitted operation for massage businesses, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., will remain the same.
In closing, we look forward to hearing from you on the proposed ordinance and hope you will join me in supporting it as an important contribution to professionalism and public safety in Chula Vista.
Respectfully,
a eventer
Miriam Foxx
Police Captain
Investigations Division
Encl: Draft Ordinance of the City of Chula Vista Repealing Chapter 5.36, Massage Parlor and Holistic Health Practitioners, and Replacing It with Chapter 5.36, Massage Regulation (13 pages). The current massage ordinance is available to review on the city's website.