The Los Alamitos City Council may soon consider efforts to look further into new initiatives to combat human trafficking that may be happening within the city, not because the problem is more severe here, but after learning the growing scale around the country.
The discussion item came up during council member Ron Bates’ routine activities report, noting that he had testified at a recent legislative hearing along with the police and the National League of Cities and said “I got the distinct impression that there is going to be legislation, or direction as to what cities have to do about human trafficking.”
Bates said representatives of the state’s massage therapist advocacy group, the California Massage Therapy Council, of which he is a member, was also in attendance. The group provides certification of massage therapists when required and they provide counseling to government entitites on human trafficking prevention, he said.
“My concern is that if cities don’t make a more aggressive effort, this responsibility may be taken from us,” said Bates. “I don’t want to see some state agency, or [trade group] coming into our city and telling us what to do with our businesses.”
Bates said Los Alamitos, which does not require certification of its massage therapists, could be revamping its ordinance soon.
“It’s a real situation and a travesty,” said Police Chief Eric Nunez. He said some estimates say there are more than five million victims of human trafficking per year in the U.S. “solely for the purpose of sexual exploitation.”
“What works for Los Alamitos is best for our city,” said Nunez, suggesting that it would be better to actively engage to “maintain local control” rather than sit back and have the state impose “some generic plan” to combat human trafficking.
Mayor Pro-tem Shelley Hasselbrink reminded the council that the city passed an ordinance a while back not to allow any additional massage parlors to operate in the city, though two massage places were grandfathered in (meaning they were in operation when the ordinance was passed so they can continue to operate).
She suggested to Nunez that perhaps police should check on them.
While eradicating human trafficking is a worthwhile mission, Mayor Mark Chirco also suggested there is no room for hate or further racial attacks against anyone, noting that he had heard about 2800 racially motivated attacks against Asian Americans alone.
“This is very disturbing,” he said. “We have to commit ourselves to calling out all forms of discrimination against any race, any gender or any group of people,” said Chirco. “It is just wrong,” he said.
“We as a society must do more to embrace the fact that all of us are different,” he said. Chirco said he was encouraged by those who “called out these injustices for what they are.”
“Our differences need to be highlighted, celebrated and embraced,” said Chirco, because that is what defines us as a nation and what makes our community such a special place to be a part of.” Hopefully, the mayor said, those incidents will stop completely which is “something to strive for as a country.”
Because human trafficking came up as a discussion item, the city took no formal action but agreed to study what should be done going forward.
(Editor’s note: Although Mayor Mark Chirco’s comments are only appearing in the ENE this week, it should be noted that they were made a few days BEFORE the most recent rash of attacks on Asian Americans, including the multiple murders in Georgia).