SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.—Hotels and personal service businesses like massage parlors and nail salons have become a hotbed for human trafficking in San Clemente, California, prompting city officials to push for stronger oversight of such establishments.
“In terms of quality of life and the safety and security of our residents, we don’t want those establishments here,” Mayor Pro Tem Chris Duncan said during a May 25 city council meeting.
At the meeting, officials voted unanimously to implement a plan with preventative actions against human trafficking by recognizing cases of sex trafficking or forced labor more effectively.
The plan was created in January by the city council’s Public Safety Committee, which works with city staff, law enforcement, and the i-5 Freedom Network—a San Clemente-based non-profit fighting to end human trafficking—to address potential issues at massage establishments and similar businesses that provide illicit services….