The Santa Ana Planning Commission is considering new rules for Downtown Santa Ana bars – and several of the more controversial bar owners and other Downtown Santa Ana gadflyes showed up at this evening’s meeting to speak up in support of a proposed expansion sought by Proof Bar.
You may recall that Proof owner Joey Mendes got ripped by the OC Weekly a few months ago when he refused to allow a member of a band that was set to play at his bar to enter his establishment, because the poor guy was using a Matricular Consular card as I.D. Mendes was there tonight as well.
I have no idea why Tish Leon, who was ousted from the Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commission, was there tonight. Nor for that matter do I understand why the owners of Proof apparently have retained Phil Bacerra to advocate for their expansion. His Linkedin page says he is a “problem solver.” Bacerra was dismissed by Mayor Miguel Pulido from an OCTA Commission, a few months before Leon got the boot. Neither Bacerra nor Leon have any pull whatsoever with our City Council majority.
Bacerra, incidentally, is advocating on his blog for an Entertainment Commission – such as the one in the City of San Francisco. This Commission would issue and deny permits in an “Entertainment” area. Isn’t that what our Planning Commission already does? Lame. The last thing we need is to empanel a bunch of barflys on yet another city commission!
One of the owners of Chapter One: the Modern Local Restaurant (perhaps the most pretentious business name in Santa Ana) was there too – you may recall Tim O’Connor (one of their owners) went off on Downtown quinceanera shops a few weeks ago. He told the Santa Ana City Council that “You can’t have the same shop, the same stores, the same exact same quinceanera shop across from the exact same quinceañera shop…exact same thing over and over again and expect to be successful. Times have changed. Fourth Street should change with those times,” according to the OC Weekly.
Planning Commissioner Sean Mill reminded those in attendance about what he said by telling the folks at the Planning Commission meeting that perhaps we don’t need bar after bar in to open up in our Downtown area.
The Santa Ana Police Department doesn’t want any more bars in Downtown Santa Ana either…
Mill told me later that he found it ironic that many of the same folks who drummed the Latino-owned bars out of our Downtown area years ago are now trying to open more bars – but of course they are marketing to a different crowd. Mill also wondered why families are being forgotten in the mad rush to open more bars in the area.
Planning Commissioner Patrick Yrarrazaval, who is the Principal at Valley High School, opined that the Downtown area is a better place to open bars than, for example, opening one across from Lathrop. Oops. He apparently doesn’t consider the area charter schools to be public schools, even though they are. Those schools include the Orange County High School for the Arts, the Edward B. Cole Sr. Academy, and the El Sol Science & Arts Academy of Santa Ana, plus the Orange County Educational Arts Academy (OCEAA).
Do we really need MORE bars in Downtown Santa Ana? Really? Santa Ana already has issued more liquor licenses than any other city in Orange County. It’s not close. I think we could use some more family restaurants. Most of us cannot afford to eat at the newer restaurants. A Chuck E. Cheese would be nice – Santa Ana is the largest city in Orange County without one.
The Proof guys have a lot of nerve asking for an expansion after one of their patrons was shot at 2 am in a nearby parking structure, last year. The problem with Proof and the other bars is that they don’t serve food. So their patrons get stone cold drunk. I wonder how many of these drunks get away with driving under the influence, since the SAPD DUI checkpoints are usually set up in quiet neighborhoods with high numbers of immigrants? Yes, once in awhile they set one up near Original Mike’s, but they should have motorcycle officers waiting outside Proof every night. It would be easy pickings.
Nothing was settled tonight, but you can expect a hell of a fight as the Planning Commission weighs the new ruled. I am pretty sure that the City Council majority won’t likely be swayed by the folks who were at tonight’s Planning Commission meeting. Did I mention that Irv and Ryan Chase were there – along with their promoter, Archer Altstaetter? Archer went off on what he intimated are antiquated city rules – but this is the guy who opened his new costume store without a business license! What does he care about rules when he ignores them anyway?
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Sounds like a business opportunity, a taxi service to drive the drunks home.
And it can be freedom of choice too. Either rent a cell at the jail or pay the bill of fare to the taxi. Or even bring your designated driver (does that work?)
"The Banking System, the Mortgae Industry, Ford Motor Co, the Real State Industry and all those other companies and industries that the USA public recently economically bail out must all be Mexican owned then….hah Fiala"..... Hmmmmm
All the above are own by Zionists who did not failed but they made you fail.
As I recall all these Zionist CEOs got millions in bonuses for which Obama advanced TARP money so they did not failed.
I think more bars and restaurants are fine - whatever will drive business and people to Santa Ana and support the local economy!!
I think the challenge is coming up with a mix of businesses that will compel those coming here to drink to spend money on other products and services too.
Proof, Chapter One, Artist Village, Yost etc...
Here's what gets me confused. What about catering to Santa Ana residents? All these establishments whether up and running or in development don't do market research? The median age in Santa Ana is 27 years old, with the majority of residents younger than 27. Yet, the discussion is exclusively about drawing people from outside Santa Ana. Are not our dollars just as valuable?
As a market segment, we over index the general population in Entertainment segments like the movies, radio, tv and music. Fortune 500 companies know this and spend hundreds of millions of dollars marketing to the this market.
If you look at the latest controversies concerning Downtown, you will see the root of everything is the exclusion message that is received in our community. From the Artist Village to Downtown Inc., to which business prosper and which don't. The common denominator is the same.
If you don't believe my statements, watch and learn from the gentleman who bought the old Edison building.
PS - Admin, this blog is a great tool/service to keep up with Santa Ana news/gossip. However, please note that you should moderate Stanley Fiala's racist comments. He makes fat, old, unsuccessful Checks look bad. Does Fiala know who Carlos Slim is?
Thanks for the kind words. Sorry about Fiala. He can be a bit of an Archie Bunker at times. He is married to a Mexicana but somehow has never learned to appreciate our people. Very sad.
I don't know if Fiala knows who Slim is but I do - he is a very rich man indeed. And as a Mexican of Lebanese extraction he is a reminder that Mexicans, like Americans, are often of diverse cultural and racial backgrounds.
"However, please note that you should moderate Stanley Fiala’s racist comments. He makes fat, old, unsuccessful Checks look bad. Does Fiala know who Carlos Slim is?"..... Hmmmmm
Here we go again.
Only Mexicans, including Admin, can assault white gentiles without being racist.
Every time the white gentile open his mouth he is racist and hater.
That is Racism -- La Raza!
I am whiter than you Fiala! You Bohemians can be a bit swarthy....
I have told you once that withes is determined by intelligence "IQ" not by color of the skin "Admin", (since you are shame to put your real name behind your moronic crapola)
Laying on the beach, getting my skin dark does not take away my high intelligence quotient.
In contrast, siting in shadow and blogging, getting your skin white does not add to your IQ.
Just gave me more of your Aztlan National Socialism that Mexicans were in Americas first and that is why they do not need visa or documents -- to entertain my IQ.
"I have told you once that withes is determined by intelligence “IQ” not by color of the skin “Admin”, (since you are shame to put your real name behind your moronic crapola)"
"Laying on the beach, getting my skin dark does not take away my high intelligence quotient."
Fiala,
So Chinese(with yellow skin),Indian(with dark skin), blacks, Mexicans(with dark skin) with a high IQ are really white???????
These statements are indicative of a low IQ......so fiala must not be white.
Stanley Fiala says:
November 16, 2011 at 9:49 am
“The Banking System, the Mortgae Industry, Ford Motor Co, the Real State Industry and all those other companies and industries that the USA public recently economically bail out must all be Mexican owned then….hah Fiala”….. Hmmmmm
All the above are own by Zionists who did not failed but they made you fail.
As I recall all these Zionist CEOs got millions in bonuses for which Obama advanced TARP money so they did not failed.
Fiala,
Jews come in all colors and nationalities....not only white, to fit your whites never fail argument.
Many of these CEO's where indited(some serving prison terms) as criminals......are you saying Jews only were responsible for nearly and criminally responsible for bankrupting the USA if not for the USA bailing their failed businesses?
A Definition of Zionism
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zionism, the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims. Jews of all persuasions, left and right, religious and secular, joined to form the Zionist movement and worked together toward these goals. Disagreements led to rifts, but ultimately, the common goal of a Jewish state in its ancient homeland was attained. The term “Zionism” was coined in 1890 by Nathan Birnbaum.
Are Jews a Nation or a Religion?
Excerpts From Herzl's The Jewish State
The Return to Zion
Zionism Is Not Racism
World Zionist Organization
Biographies of Zionists
IS FIALA ANTISEMITIC????
"IS FIALA ANTISEMITIC????"..... Hmmmmm
"IS LOMELI ANTIGENTILE????"
Stop using Wikipedia as reference because it is written by Zionists.
Learn Dr. Amalgam:
http://www.al-moharer.net/falasteen_docs/fayez_sayegh.htm
The Bible was written by God's chosen people as well. Do you have a problem with that tome as well?
"The Bible was written by God’s chosen people as well"..... Hmmmm
And who told you that?..... God’s chosen people!
It is all propaganda especially if there is no God.
There are about 30 major denominations of Christians who hate each other, there are many Jewish denominations who hate each other and all believing in the same God.
http://www.ahavat-israel.com/protest/antijew.php
Well if you are so stupid Admin and believe that it is good idea to pay Israel $25,000,000 per day while your poor Mexican children are starving than it is a OK with me.
You can call me anti-Semitic!
Stanley Fiala says:
November 16, 2011 at 10:41 pm
“IS FIALA ANTISEMITIC????”….. Hmmmmm
“IS LOMELI ANTIGENTILE????”
Stop using Wikipedia as reference because it is written by Zionists.
Learn Dr. Amalgam:
http://www.al-moharer.net/falasteen_docs/fayez_sayegh.htm
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Fiala,
Your reading comprehension is lacking. A indication of your low IQ. My last comment does not reference Wikipedia.
No one can learn anything from you as you have a low IQ. Everyone that reads your comments understands this. You are the only one that thinks otherwise......sad