Escort permits not popular in Palm Springs
Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and Rancho Mirage allow people to apply for permits to be escorts.
These escorts are still prohibited from doing anything sexual, which is probably why they are not very popular in the city of Palm Springs.
“People are just trying to make money anyway they can, it’s hard times you know,” said Ben Tanguay in Palm Springs. That’s the reaction we got from people when we told them escorts could get permits in the city.
According to the Palm Springs Business License Division a person would have to fill out an application and pay a $112 permit fee, a $67 business tax, a $28 administration fee, and a $150 background check to get the permit. A escort would also have to provide a medical certificate showing they are free of communicable diseases.
The permit does not allow a person to engage in any sexual behavior for money.
Of the hundreds of women online who offer escort services in our area, according to the city, only one woman has a permit.
“There is only one escort who has been issued a permit and she is registered with Companions. The permit and business license are renewed annually and there are no other conditions for renewal other than payment and continued compliance with the requirements stated in the Municipal Code. The annual fees are $556.00 per escort bureau permit plus $67.00 for the business license, and the annual fees are $112.00 for an escort permit plus $67.00 per business license for an individual escort,” wrote Geoffrey S. Kiehl, Director of Finance and Treasurer for City of Palm Springs in an email response.
We went to the location of Companions has listed as an escort bureau and it’s listed in a vacant office building that has been empty for about 6 months.
After trying to get in contact with one of the dozens of escorts listed in the Palm Springs area, we finally got a hold of an escort manager through an escort website. He’s basically a digital pimp. Sending women to clients to have sex for money. Has says none of the girls he manages has a permit in any city. He would only go by the name Phil.
“You have got to understand something this is not legal, none of it is,” said Phil over the phone.
“That’s the problem with the system, then you are being watched and you have to do all this paperwork, then you have to have the girls sign documents that say that they are not going to have sex with the clients, and the fact is they are going to have sex with their clients,” said Phil
“The agency just makes them sign these documents saying they know nothing about it so when they get caught they can shove these documents in front of whoever they need to and say we told her not to,” said Phil.
Phil, the digital pimp based out of Orange County who has women working all over Southern California, also told us that because of these websites where people can easily find a prostitute, it’s cut down in the amount of money these girls are making, because the supply for escorts far exceeds the demand.
“They are losing work, about a year or two ago a girl could have made $10-$15 thousand a month easy, just part time. Now I’m getting calls from girls that were making $20 thousands that are now barely making $3 thousand,” said Phil.
Do you think the women on escort websites are really just going on dates or are they prostitutes? Leave a comment below or send a message to Joe Galli on Facebook or Twitter.
