City of Salinas approves Red Light Abatement Act ordinance to combat a surge of visible sex work.

On Tuesday, Jan. 9, Salinas City Council voted 5-0 to approve the Red Light Abatement Act ordinance. (Mayor Kimbley Craig and Carla Viviana González were absent.)

The Red Light Abatement Act is a state‌ law, and the City Council's action added it to the Salinas municipal code. This measure will give the city the power to declare repeated sites of prostitution as nuisances and seek an injunction against the property owners of those locations. 

City Attorney Chris Callihan suggested incorporating this section of state law into Salinas’ municipal code on Dec. 5 as an alternative enforcement mechanism since the Salinas Police Department cannot longer use a former crackdown strategy, since loitering for the purpose of prostitution is no longer a misdemeanor due to a change in state law.

For months, residents living on King Street, Roosevelt Street, and North Madeira Avenue have raised concerns about an uptick of prostitution in the community. 

On Oct. 14, residents marched on the area to bring awareness to the issue and demand solutions. Residents say they don’t feel comfortable walking around their neighborhood to go to work or take their kids to school.

Noting that the abatement ordinance is just a partial solution that enables the city to take action against property owners, but not human traffickers or others, City Councilmember Orlando Osornio thanked city staff for working on this ordinance. "This is a step in the right direction," he said. "I commend City Attorney [Chris] Callihan and City Manager [Jim] Pia for coming up with a solution."

He stresses education and going after johns as some measures the city could implement.