SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Assemblyman Joe Nation is wary of the dark. And the bronze. And even that reddish pink glow.

The Marin County lawmaker, who has pale skin and knows first-hand the dangers of skin cancer, wants to take away every California teenager’s freedom to get a wicked indoor tan.

He has introduced legislation banning anyone under 18 from using a tanning machine with ultraviolet rays, except under doctor’s orders. No more after-school roasting or base-coating before spring break.

“We don’t say it’s OK for a parent to give their child a cigarette at age 15, because there is no good that can come from that,” said Nation. “We also know there is no good that can come from a tanning salon.”

The reaction from the estimated $2 billion-a-year tanning business was mixed.

“This is Hollywood; kids don’t live here,” said Nick Stone, 35, who answered the phone at L.A. Tanning on Sunset Boulevard.

Over in the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles, Ashley Karatsony at Suntans to Go said she thought Nation had a bad idea. Now 18, she has been tanning for several years. She said people from 16 to 60 come into the store, including students from a nearby high school.

“That would definitely be a huge deal,” said Karatsony, “especially for like the tanning economy.”

As for the possible health dangers, she said: “As long as you’re not burning, you are good to go.”

Suntans to Go requires teenagers to come with a parent or sign a release in order to tan under ultraviolet rays. Nation said teenagers should instead consider a fake-n-bake tan — a spray-on or bottled product. He is concerned about teenagers who habitually tan, sometimes called “tanorexics.”

Nation had a chunk of his leg removed because of melanoma three years ago, and says there is no healthy tan. About 7,400 people die per year from melanoma, out of 1 million new skin cancer diagnoses.

Dermatologists have been warning people away from tanning machines for years. The Skin Cancer Foundation blames French designer Coco Chanel for starting an 80-year obsession with tanned skin. It reports that UV radiation from indoor tanning “seems to be the cause of all three common skin cancers — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.”

Hayley Johnson, who is 16 and works at Dark Side Tanning near Sacramento, said she is aware of the possible side effects but would be upset if Nation’s bill became law.

“It would mean I would just spend more time in the sun,” she said.

In California, there is the Filante Tanning Facility Act of 1988. The law requires anyone between 14 and 18 to bring a note from his or her parent in order to get a tan. Parents are required to accompany any child under 14 who wants to use a tanning booth.

The law also requires tanning booths to be less than 100 degrees. Timers have to be accurate. Sanitized protective eyewear are required. Workers have to be knowledgeable about the correct operation of a tanning booth.

Nation’s legislation would bar people under 18 from using a tanning booth unless a doctor says they need it to treat a skin condition. The tanning facility would be subject to $2,500 fine per day for every violation. Local district attorneys could act as tanning police to enforce the law.

Why not just penalize parents who take their kids to the beach? Nation is not willing to go there. “I have never been to a tanning salon, but I can’t imagine that people who go to a tanning salon put on sunscreen,” said Nation. “But when people go to the beach, they put on protection.”

Nation’s bill recently passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee and is expected to be heard soon in the full Assembly.

There is no word on whether the bill would be supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose skin and hair sometimes take on a slightly orange patina. His spokeswoman on lifestyle issues, Terri Carbaugh, groaned, laughed and declined to comment, except to confirm that inquiries about the governor’s tan get a “gold medal” for dumb questions.