IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif.—The San Diego County city of Imperial Beach will consider a new ordinance for adult entertainment establishments at a Sept. 22 City Council meeting, according to the San Diego Reader.
Make that adult entertainment establishment. Imperial Beach has only one such business, the Romantix Bookstore, but that fact hasn’t stopped city employees from conducting an investigation of the shop, or the anticipated proposal Wednesday of a new ordinance for it.
The Reader notes that city staffers indicated that the Romantix “adult arcade viewing booths” are well-known meeting spots for people cruising on the internet for local hook-ups. The articles also says that complaints by citizens about prostitution and other sexual activity at the Palm Avenue store instigated the interest in an expanded ordinance similar to the one adopted by San Diego.
“Inside the Romantix Bookstore, staff found that the 14 booths had seating for more than one person, the doors could be latched from the inside, the booths did not meet ADA accessibility requirements, and all booths were positioned out of sight from employees,” reported the Reader. “In addition to the sections dealing with the adult arcade booths, the staff's investigation revealed that the store did not have adequate signage such as signs prohibiting sexual activities, loitering, and no signs prohibiting that more than one person enter the viewing booths.”
If approved, the new ordinance will approve video surveillance, require a smaller area and better lighting inside the viewing rooms, make changes to the layout of the arcade to allow for easier inspection by law enforcement, and mandate that adult establishments close between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.
The Imperial Beach city hall is located at 825 Imperial Beach Blvd., Imperial Beach, CA 91932.
