Snohomish County Council passes ordinance re-classifying coffee stands as "Adult Entertainment"

The Snohomish County Council was pretty busy yesterday. In addition to the appointment of an Interim County Prosecutor, they also approved two ordinances intended to address the issue of the threat to the county's youth in the form of scantily clad coffee servers. The ordinances offered by council chair, Mike Cooper and council member Dave Gossett respectively will a new "Adult Business" category for the so-called Bikini Barista coffee stands and strengthens the county's lewd conduct laws (apparently to now include "making coffee while nude"). The ordinances were crafted in response to community complaints about the attire and alleged actions of certain baristas in certain coffee stands in the county. Ironically, by the testimony of the council members themselves, the ordinances will be difficult if not impossible to enforce and will NOT apply to "Bikini Baristas". Doubts about the ability to enforce the new codes was also expressed by County Auditor, Carolyn Weikel, whose office is tasked with the job of ensuring businesses are correctly licensed for their business classification. She told reporters:

“Part of my concern is if we already license a business, we know what to expect. We have no idea where these businesses are or who they are or how many employees they may have. I don’t have the resources to find out that information.”

Her lack of resources stems form the fact that in a department which previously supported three field inspectors,  one was laid off, one resigned and one retired. With recent county budget cuts, it is very unlikely she will have those positions filled any time in the near future.

As I said, the enforcement issue was addressed by at  least three of the council members before they took their final votes on the ordinances. Council member Dave Somers was equally concerned that the council was simply passing an ordinance that just placed existing law into a new framework and cited the enforcement piece as being the real issue especially at a time of such deep budget cuts and lay-offs around the county. The sentiment was echoed by council member Brian Sullivan who specifically refereed to the staffing issue at the Auditor's office. Perhaps one of the more ironic pieces of testimony came from the sole Republican on the council, John Koster from Arlington, who spoke about government's role in dictating how a business conducts itself and said that the ordinances they were voting on, rather than discouraging immoral behavior were in fact, "permitting that behavior."

In the end, both ordinances passed by unanimous vote and will become law next month when they are signed by the County Executive. Council member Cooper has been careful to remind the public that the ordinance will NOT apply to bikini clad baristas but is aimed at the "pasties and thongs" crowd. Specifically, the regulations apply when baristas wear thongs, pasties or other attire in public that don’t fully cover rear ends or the bottom half of breasts. If a stand is determined to meet the criteria for re-classification as an "Adults Only" business, they will no longer be able to employ or serve anyone under the age of 18 and they will be required to place an "Adults Only" sign in their window. A number of community members who supported the ordinances were at the county meeting and gave a round of applause to the council after the vote. It can only be assumed that opponents of the ordinances were off having a pleasant morning coffee while the voting was taking place.

Council members Cooper and Gossett - defenders of the county's virtues

(Photos :Snohomish County Government)  

My inquiries as to when we will start seeing "Pastie Patrols" have gone unanswered.

Peace,
Chad Shue