Newport Council Acts to Cut Off Proposal for Topless Barber Shop

An inquiry about opening a topless barber shop in Newport Beach prompted the City Council this week to adopt a temporary ban on all service-related businesses where employees are nude or scantily clad.

The proposal by a businessman identified as Richard Larson raised concerns among city officials who have been trying in the past year to curb adult businesses that have proliferated here. Police have said that some of those businesses have served as fronts for prostitution.

Larson did not return several calls for comment.

Officials hope the 45-day ban on adult entertainment shops adopted by the council on Monday night will give city staff time to devise an ordinance to regulate adult businesses by listing rules for shop conduct and detailing where they can operate in the city.

The moratorium, approved 6 to 0, prohibits any services where partially clothed employees are part of the business, including carwashes, housecleaning services and juice bars.

Assistant City Atty. Robin Flory, who has drafted most of the city’s sex-related ordinances in the past year, and other city officials said new ideas for adult businesses develop faster than cities can issue regulatory ordinances for them, leaving some policies outdated by the time they are ready for adoption.

“It’s a matter of looking at these types of businesses as opposed to traditional adult-entertainment businesses” such as peep shows, X-rated movie houses and strip-tease clubs, said Flory.

Currently, the city’s adult entertainment ordinance allows those businesses to operate in about 8% of the city’s commercial area, including the areas around Fashion Island and John Wayne Airport, said Glen Everroad, city revenue manager.