The Placentia City Council tonight will consider approving a moratorium on new massage establishments while it awaits new state laws.
City Administrator Troy Butzlaff said the moratorium is needed because the city recently discovered that its licensing rules for massage therapists are inconsistent with state law that was changed in 2008 and may be changed again.
“We’re just waiting for changes in state law,” Butzlaff said.
California Senate Bill 731, which was approved by the Legislature in 2008, established a statewide certification process, which trumps local laws, for massage therapists. Revisions to that law are being considered in Sacramento.
According to Butzlaff, city staffers became aware of the incompatibility when a massage therapist inquired why the city was enforcing stricter rules than allowed by the state. Placentia’s regulations are “much more onerous” than the state’s, he said.
The moratorium, if approved, would not affect existing massage establishments. Placentia will allow new massage therapists to work in the city if they are licensed by the state and hired by an existing establishment.