S.F. could fine, jail landlords renting to illicit massage parlors

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is developing a plan to fine and possibly jail landlords who let massage parlors operate as brothels in their buildings.

His proposal is modeled after a similar effort in New York state that stemmed the illegal trafficking of women from other countries to work as sex slaves.

"It's time to let these traffickers know San Francisco is not the city to be operating in," Newsom said.

His idea is one of several options city leaders are considering to curb the illegal sex trade in San Francisco, part of the growing $8 billion international trafficking industry. City Hall also is preparing a public-awareness campaign for bus shelters and billboards, and Supervisor Fiona Ma wants a one-year moratorium on any new massage parlors in the city.

Is San Francisco really that "liberal"?