The City Council approved an ordinance that affects all massage businesses and practitioners in Santa Clarita on Tuesday.
Under the new rule, massage practitioners will need certification from the California Massage Therapy Council, the oversight committee created in 2009.
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The new ordinance, which also restricts massage businesses to hiring licensed therapists, will give law enforcement a locally-defined agenda for weeding out those businesses which participate in illegal activity such as prostitution.
As of March 2010, there were approximately 40 massage businesses in Santa Clarita.
The City Council also took steps toward adopting a new pension plan for City employees.
Under the revised contract with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, future employees will earn 2 percent of their highest salary (based on 36 consecutive months of employment) upon retiring at age 60.
The proposed plan requires new-hires to pay into the system with seven percent of their annual salary.
Current city employees, however, are exempt from the change and will earn 2.7 percent of their highest salary upon retiring at age 55.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, Terri Kingery, new president of the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce, supported the revised contract in light of the current fiscal challenges facing California.