Crime & Safety
10 Arrested in Massage Parlor Crackdown
Since 2009, the number of massage businesses in Huntington Beach has jumped from nine to 65, officials say. But lobbyists have so far halted efforts to curb that number.
Ten people were arrested on suspicion of soliciting for prostitution at Huntington Beach massage parlors, police said Monday.
It's the latest in a series of raids and crackdowns on Surf City massage businesses. Last June, amid pressure from lobbyists, the Huntington Beach City Council postponed a measure to halve the number of massage parlors.
Since the state was put in charge of regulating massage parlors in 2009, the number of such businesses in Huntington Beach jumped from nine to 65, O'Brien said. "But some of these are legitimate massage establishments. We don't want to paint everyone with a broad brush."
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The names of those arrested were not immediately available.
Law enforcement from Huntington Beach, Anaheim, the state's Department of Alcohol Beverage Control and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force conducted an undercover inspection of massage parlors in Huntington Beach on Feb. 28.
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-- City News Service and Patch staff
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