‘Just the beginning’: Santa Rosa ramps up illicit massage crackdown with 12 new investigations, business restrictions - The Santa Rosa Press Democrat

[ADRIANA GUTIERREZ, MADISON SMALSTIG , MARISA]

Santa Rosa officials say they are makingsignificant progress in cracking down on illicit massage businesses. During a public safety committee meeting Tuesday, they highlighted efforts to address suspected trafficking and a proposed overhauling of outdated ordinances that may have allowed illicit activity to flourish.

Officials anticipate a draft of the new regulations by the end of the year. The updated statute, to include added restrictions and enforcement, is expected to go before the planning commission and City Council early next year.

Meanwhile, code enforcement has opened a dozen new investigations into businesses for violations to city codes.

Tuesday’s meeting came just days after Santa Rosa police and code enforcement officials conducted anoperation in which three women, believed to have been trafficked, were rescued from a massage business.

They were found Oct. 9 during an inspection related to building code and other violations. Staff from Verity, Sonoma County’s sexual violence crisis and counseling center, werepresent and connectedeach woman with an advocate, along with accommodations and transportation.

While details of that operation haven’t been released, Santa Rosa police on Tuesday provided more information about their surveillance of suspected illicit massage parlors in the city.

During stakeouts of two businesses, police identified 12 patrons, as The Press Democrat reported Tuesday. But Sgt. Patricia Seffens later told a reporter that of the five patrons contacted, three admitted to paying for sexual acts.

None of the people were cited, but police said the customers were provided educational resources on commercial sex crimes and human trafficking.

“Criminal charges may be requested pending results of further investigation,” Seffens said.

Santa Rosa Police Chief John Cregan said at Tuesday’s meeting that investigators will continue monitoring suspect massage businesses and their patrons. They are also targeting business owners who “clearly are promoting commercial sex trafficking.”

“If you’re somebody that frequents massage parlors to participate in sexual acts for money, know that you’re likely to be contributing to trafficking,” said Lisa Diaz-McQuaid, human trafficking caseworker for Verity. “You might think it’s harmless. It’s really not.”

Law enforcement’s ultimate goal is to continue partnering with nonprofits to support trafficking victims, though Cregan noted that survivors often struggle to accept help due to manipulation, threats from traffickers or a lack of trust in law enforcement.

Cregan said trafficking victims accepting help can be an “anomaly.”

“It depends on where the survivor is at in their experience. Some are ready to leave immediately and some unfortunately feel like they're not ready or there’s a lot of fear involved with seeking resources,” said Diaz-McQuaid, Verity’s caseworker. That can be especially true for people in vulnerable positions, for instance if they are in the country illegally.

Advocates have pushed in recent years to shift policymakers and police away from criminalizing victims and toward targeting perpetrators.

Trafficking is a complex and entrenched problem, more common than people realize, Diaz-McQuaid said.

“When the news of a rescue is in the paper everyone seems to be in shock,” she said. “My hope with all of this is that the community starts to become more aware.”

12 new investigations​

Code Enforcement, the city’s business violation oversight agency, has ramped up investigations into possible illicit massage businesses alongside police.

In February, as community concerns grew, Code Enforcement began responding to complaints about these businesses. They identified eight businesses requiring further deeperinvestigation.

One of those businesses has since been closed, and another appears to have shuttered after a series of unresolved building violations, including unpermitted additions, services conducted behind locked doors and employees working without proper certifications.

Since opening the original eight cases, enforcement officials have taken a more aggressiveapproach to identifying businesses involved in illicit activity.

There’s now a dozen more open investigations into Santa Rosa businesses.

At Tuesday’s meeting, senior Code Enforcement Officer Daniela DeBaca said evidence shows some of these businesses share the same owner, with one owner linked to four or five. She added that there could be more businesses under the same ownership, as not all may have proper certification.

There are similarities in the potential violations among the dozen newly identified businesses, said DeBaca, and each investigation is approached with a focus on potential human trafficking.