The Santa Barbara Ordinance Committee voted Jan. 13 to advance proposed amendments to the city's massage ordinance to the full City Council with instructions to conduct additional cultural outreach and to present multiple options, rather than recommending the ordinance "as is." The committee's motion passed unanimously.

The item, continued from a December meeting, drew more than an hour of public comment from local massage therapists, students, school owners and advocates who warned that a proposed requirement tied to California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) standards and increased educational hours would impose severe financial and time burdens. "The idea of going back to school for a 250-hour program is a real hardship," said Colin Silverman, who said he has run a Santa Barbara deep-tissue practice for 30 years and receives referrals from orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists. Several speakers urged permanent or practical grandfathering for practitioners with long experience, and asked for clear exemptions for students already enrolled.

Why it matters: The draft ordinance would raise minimum education and administrative requirements tied to state-recognized certification and would add local permitting and inspections intended to make it easier for police to identify and respond to illicit activity. Supporters say those changes give law enforcement tools to address trafficking and related crimes; opponents say the provisions could penalize experienced, law-abiding workers and push vulnerable people further underground.

Assistant City Attorney Heather Minter told the committee CAMTC certification is voluntary under the state Massage Therapy Act and that the city may set local education thresholds but cannot force a CAMTC-certified therapist to obtain additional certification. "CAMTC certification is not mandatory for massage therapists," she said, noting the council could adopt its own standard but that doing so without CAMTC oversight would likely shift administrative costs to local police. Police staff described the fee and inspection methodology as "cost recovery," and said their count of local businesses informed proposed fees: roughly 45 massage establishments, about 50 sole proprietors and approximately 145 massage therapists in the city.

Many public speakers asked that owners and students be given time or exemptions rather than an immediate requirement to obtain additional schooling and that materials and outreach be provided in multiple languages. "Without an exemption, my 30 years of hands-on experience ... would effectively mean nothing under this new ordinance," said Priya Alvarez, who said the cost and hours required would be infeasible for many longtime practitioners.

Council members pressed staff on enforcement and penalties. Staff said the ordinance would create an administrative pathway (inspections, citations and license suspension) intended to gain voluntary compliance and that criminal prosecution would follow only when investigation showed penal-code violations. The police representative emphasized that the inspection model aims to detect noncompliance early and avoid heavy-handed criminal investigations when possible.

The committee's motion, moved by Committee member Rauce and seconded by Chair Sneddon, directed department staff to perform culturally targeted outreach and return to council with a menu of options (for example, alternative grandfathering approaches, limited live-scan requirements, and home-occupation exemptions). Committee member Gutierrez said she preferred more outreach before moving the measure forward; the committee and staff agreed the item would not return to council "as is." The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: Staff will conduct additional outreach, including translated materials and targeted engagement with affected communities, and present option packages to the full council at a later date for further deliberation.