Fitness Crackdown: Santa Monica Gets Tough On Trainers

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Jan. 23, 2013

Keeping up New Year's resolutions to get in shape might get tougher thanks to Santa Monica City Council's proposition to ramp up regulations on outdoor fitness classes this spring.

The council is considering banning all classes with more than two participants in the city's most popular workout spot, Palisades Park.

"Palisades park is a public park and doing commercial enterprise in a public park or a public facility really should have regulations around it," says Santa Monica's Director of Community and Cultural Services Karen Ginsberg. "The recommendation is to limit private trainers for compensation."

Additionally, the council could impose a 15 percent fee on all trainers' profits over and above the already required business license, permit, insurance, and city tax.

ReasonTV's Kennedy tried out one of the outdoor classes, Sonki Fitness' Bootcamp, to see what all the fuss was about.

"It's a park, it's not a museum," says Kennedy, "this is what people should be doing with their outdoor spaces."

Founder Sonki Hong has been training his students in Palisades Park for over a decade.

"They should try to really work with small businesses like me instead of making it harder for me to survive," says Sonki.

Written, produced and shot by Tracy Oppenheimer. Additional camera by Paul Detrick.

About 4 minutes.