A Cover Charge at Proof? No bueno!
UPDATE: Santa Ana City Manager Paul Walters sent me an email today confirming that the City is looking into the issues raised in this post!
Chapter One: the Modern Local, a restaurant in Downtown Santa Ana, is promising a fun night tonight, which includes dancing – as per their Facebook event page. However, I am told that their Conditional Use Permit (C.U.P.) does NOT allow dancing. As far as I know, they did not petition the Santa Ana Planning Agency for an exception.
You may recall that one of the owners of Chapter One went off on Mexican owned businesses in Downtown Santa Ana, a few months ago, when he questioned the number of Quinceanera stores in the Downtown area. Well, I guarantee you that none of those shops will be flouting the law tonight!
But Chapter One is not the only local business promising to violate their C.U.P. tonight. The Proof Bar is holding a New Year’s Eve Extravaganza – with a cover charge. Guess what? Their C.U.P. does not allow them to do that. And if they are planning on allowing dancing tonight, that too is a violation of their C.U.P. Perhaps their “problem solver” told them to do this? I hope the Planning Agency and our City Council will remember this when Proof comes begging for changes to their current C.U.P.
This is not the first time this problem has cropped up recently in Downtown Santa Ana. When East End promoter Archer Altstaetter opened his new costume store he did it without a business license. He got busted for that. He also held a Zombie Walk that, according to the SAPD, did not have a permit.
And we found evidence on the Velvet Lounge’s website that they might be engaging in adult entertainment – including simulated sex acts, stuffing money down male dancer’s underwear, etc.
Employees of Santa Ana’s Planning Agency had a cow when Mariscos Zamora advertised a karaoke night – when that longtime Santa Ana business tried to change their C.U.P. Obviously they have a distinct double standard given the mayhem going on in Downtown Santa Ana. But the good news is that they are now investigating the Velvet Lounge and they have been made aware about the shenanigans planned at Chapter One and Proof tonight.
