(A) Purpose. It is the purpose of this subchapter to regulate sexually-oriented businesses in order to promote the health, safety, morals and general welfare of the citizens of the city, and to establish reasonable and uniform regulations to prevent the deleterious location and concentration of sexually- oriented businesses within the city. The provisions of this chapter have neither the purpose nor effect of imposing a limitation or restriction on the content of any communicative materials, including sexually- oriented materials. Similarly, it is not the intent nor effect of this chapter to restrict or deny access by adults to sexually-oriented materials protected by the First Amendment, or to deny access by the distributors and exhibitors of sexually-oriented entertainment to its intended market. Neither is it the intent nor effect of this chapter to condone or legitimize the distribution of obscene material.
(B) Findings. Based on evidence concerning the adverse secondary effects of adult uses on the community presented in hearings and in reports made available to the City Council, and on findings incorporated in the cases of City of Renton v. Playtime Theaters, Inc., 475 U.S. 41 (1986), Young v. American Mini Theaters, 426 U.S. 50 (1976), and Northend Cinema. Inc. Seattle, 585 P. 2d 1153 (Wash. 1978), and on studies in other communities including, but not limited to: Phoenix, Arizona; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Houston, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana, Amarillo, Texas; Los Angeles, California; Austin, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Beaumont, Texas; and also on findings found in the Report of Attorney General’s Working Group on the Regulation of Sexually-Oriented Businesses, (June 6, 1989, State of Minnesota), the Council finds the following.
(1) Sexually-oriented businesses in the city lend themselves to ancillary unlawful and unhealthy activities that are presently uncontrolled by the operators of the establishments. Further, there is presently no mechanism to make the owners of these establishments responsible for the activities that occur on their premises.
(2) Certain employees of sexually-oriented businesses defined in this chapter as adult theaters and cabarets engage in higher incidence of certain types of sexually-oriented behavior at these businesses than employees of other establishments.
(3) Sexual acts, including masturbation, oral and anal sex, occur at sexually-oriented businesses, especially those which provide private or semi-private booths or cubicles for viewing films, videos or live sex shows, as defined under this chapter as adult bookstores, adult novelty shops, adult video stores, adult motion picture theaters or adult arcades.
(4) Offering and providing such space encourages such activities, which create unhealthy conditions.
(5) Persons frequent certain adult theaters, adult arcades and other sexually-oriented businesses for the purpose of engaging in sex within the premises of such sexually-oriented businesses.
(6) At least 50 communicable diseases may be spread by activities occurring in sexually- oriented businesses, including, but not limited to, syphilis, gonorrhea, human immunodefiency virus infection (AIDS), genital herpes, hepatitis B, Non A, Non B amebiasis, salmonella infections and shigella infections.
(7) Since 1981 and to the present there has been an increasing cumulative number of reported cases of AIDS caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States: 600 in 1982, 2,200 in 1983, 4,600 in 1984, 8,555 in 1985 and 253,448 through 12-31-1992.
(8) The number of cases of early (less than one year) syphilis in the United States reported annually has risen, with 33,613 cases reported in 1982 and 45,200 through November of 1990.
(9) The number of cases of gonorrhea in the United States reported annually remains at a high level, with over one-half million cases being reported in 1990.
(10) The Surgeon General of the United States, in his or her report of 10-22-1986, has advised the American public that AIDS and HIV infection may be transmitted through sexual contact, intravenous drug abuse, exposure to infected blood and blood components, and from an infected mother to her newborn.
(11) According to the best scientific evidence, AIDS and HIV infection, as well as syphilis and gonorrhea, are principally transmitted by sexual acts.
(12) Sanitary conditions in some sexually-oriented businesses are unhealthy, in part, because the activities conducted there are unhealthy and, in part, because of the unregulated nature of the activities and the failure of the owners and the operators of the facilities to self-regulate those activities and maintain those facilities.
(13) Numerous studies and reports have determined that semen is found in the areas of sexually- oriented businesses where persons view “adult” oriented films.
(14) The findings noted in divisions (B)(1) through (B)(13) above raise substantial governmental concerns.
(15) Sexually-oriented businesses have operational characteristics which should be reasonably regulated in order to protect those substantial governmental concerns.
(16) A reasonable licensing procedure is an appropriate mechanism to place the burden of that reasonable regulation on the owners and the operators of the sexually-oriented businesses. Further, such a licensing procedure will place a heretofore non-existent incentive on the operators to see that the sexually-oriented business is run in a manner consistent with the health, safety and welfare of its patrons and employees, as well as the citizens of the city. It is appropriate to require reasonable assurances that the licensee is the actual operator of the sexually-oriented business, fully in possession and control of the premises and activities occurring therein.
(17) Removal of doors on adult booths and requiring sufficient lighting on premises with adult booths advances a substantial government interest in curbing the illegal and unsanitary sexual activity occurring in adult theaters.
(18) Requiring licensees of sexually-oriented businesses to keep information regarding current employees and certain past employees will help reduce the incidence of certain types of criminal behavior by facilitating the identification of potential witnesses or suspects and by preventing minors from working in such establishments.
(19) The disclosure of certain information by those persons ultimately responsible for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the sexually-oriented businesses, where such information is substantially related to the significant governmental interest in the operation of such uses, will aid in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
(20) It is desirable in the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases to obtain a limited amount of information regarding certain employees who may engage in the conduct which this subchapter is designed to prevent or who are likely to be witnesses to such activity.
(21) The fact that an applicant for an adult use license has been convicted of a sexually related crime leads to the rational assumption that the applicant is likely to engage in that conduct in contravention of this subchapter.
(22) The barring of such individuals from the management of adult uses for a period of years serves as a deterrent to and prevents conduct which leads to the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.
(23) The general welfare, health and safety of the citizens of the city will be promoted by the enactment of this subchapter.
(Ord. passed 12-17-2014)