Trying to Close The Barn Door Before All The Horses Leave

I knew it had been a while since I had blogged here but 4 years? Work & this city will do that to you. The ABC SFPD collusion effort died out thankfully, but in its place is a more dangerous adversary: real estate speculation. You may learn more about real estate speculation’s effects by studying the development history of the city and county of Los Angeles. 

San Francisco Board of Supervisors attempts to protect the few live music venues left in San Francisco

Today I attended a public hearing of the San Francisco Planning Commission. It is not how I usually where I spend my Thursday lunchtime. However today I was there because the Planning Commission was taking public comment on legislation proposed by Supervisors London Breed and Scott Wiener to protect live music venues via the planning process for new construction. 

The goal of the legislation is to insert the interests of the live music venues into the development conversation, and require real estate developers to work with venues and inform potential buyers that they are buying property within 300 feet of a music venue.  It would also, more importantly, protect clubs that are up to code and in compliance from being cited as a nuisance.

Better late than never, I suppose. Since I last wrote in this blog, The Café Du Nord, Club Cocomo, The Sound Factory, the Red Devil Lounge, and The Attic have all either shut their doors or removed live music/dj performance from their business plan as a direct result of housing development and/or noise complaints. 

Today’s meeting was well represented by the live music venue community. There were folks from clubs that are being actively menaced by condo development, such as Bottom of the Hill and The Independent, and leading lights of the music industry, such as the RIAA, Another Planet Entertainment, and the California Music and Culture Association. There were also representatives from clubs that have already fought battles in the Nightlife Wars, such as the DNA Lounge & Slims, both forced to close temporarily by the joint efforts of the SFPD & the ABC. 

The former owner of Café Du Nord explained that he sold the venue after a soul-killing battle with the out-of-town developers building condominiums nearby.  At present Café Du Nord is promising little more than “impromptu, intimate entertainment acts.”

The representative from the venerable Fillmore noted that noise complaints from concert venues are handled by the SFPD. She called this a waste of city resources.

A representative from the Make-Out Room described how the Make-Out Room was used by a nearby condo developer to “sell the location.” Once the condos were occupied however, the Make-Out Room had a noise complaint lodged against them by a new resident in the selfsame condos.

Another speaker, this one representing Another Planet Entertainment, pointed out the sobering fact that “when we lose venues to development, they are not being replaced.”

The North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association rep made the point that if a neighborhood association was supporting this legislation, it must be good legislation.

Terrance Allan of the California Music and CultureAssociation pointed out that “noise complaints can be defeated by wise development.”

It is good legislation, in my opinion. I just hope it is not too late for the Bottom of the Hill, The Independent, and the Elbo Room.

I expect a little more from the New York Times

It has been months since I have written anything here.  Honestly, the initial panic that the ABC and police were going to drive all my favorite clubs out of business has subsided somewhat with the creation of the California Music and Culture Association, and the empowerment of the Entertainment Commission.  But now today there is a story in the New York Times that truly disappoints.  It deals with the "high costs" of patrolling near nightclubs, with various SFPD folk suggesting that the clubs should be paying extra for patrols. 

Normally, I would think of the NYT as being a bastion of well-researched news.  This story leads me to think otherwise.  Nowhere does it mention the SFPD policy of shutting down traffic on Broadway during the weekends, which of course is killing business.  There is no mention of the man-hours expended by the SFPD in harassing legitimate nightclubs, such as DNA, Butter, Myst and the like.  This article makes North Beach sound like a war zone, when in actuality it is essentially a tourist mecca with strip clubs and expensive restaurants, that is only slightly more dangerous than Disneyland.

What's more, the club that the shooting happened  near was Suede, which is many, many blocks from the heavily-patrolled stretch of Broadway the article talks about. 

Police harassment on Broadway is nothing new.  When I was 19 years old, I drove some friends to the On Broadway because Metallica was rumored to be doing a secret show there.  The show was sold out, so I and my friends were  standing on the sidewalk deciding what to do, when we were approached by one of SFPD's finest.  He demanded our IDs, and when he saw that I did not live in SF, he told me I was not welcome in SF and should go home.  As if I and my dorky teenage pals were a threat to anyone or anything.  It taught me to believe that many policeman treat every human being they see as a potential criminal.  No wonder they see such a threat on Broadway.

Bay Guardian updates, and BAR gives us the District 6 rundown

First off, thanks to the Bay Guardian (and the SF Weekly) for keeping up on the story of the attack on San Francisco nightlife.  The March 23rd Bay Guardian  cover story tackled Mayor Newsom's puzzling behavior and catches up with various politicos and players to keep us informed on what is happening with our local government and the SFPD.  I particularly appreciate the fact that they made Larry Bertrand the cover boy.  This week, they got a response from Captain McDonough that  paints him as a tireless protector of quality of life in San Francisco.  From the sound of things, there is a community meeting being held in SOMA on the 21st of April.  Might be worth attending.

The Bay Area Reporter today, made the valid point that whoever wins District 6 in the next elections will be handed the nightclub hot potato upon entering office.  I myself plan to make it my business to find out each of their opinions and support the candidate who best represents my interests.

supe President Chui steps up, but hey, where's the Chronicle?

Board of Supes president David Chui demonstrated some hyperbole-free leadership today by proposing that the Entertainment Comission (or some other government body) should have the right to permanently shutter problem nightclubs.  This is good news, in my opinion, as the EC is currently hamstrung by its lack of enforcement capabilities.  Since David Chui is not campaigning for the  pale glories of the Lt Governor's office,  his focus seems to be on what is best for San Francisco.  He has earned my interest by this action, and I will certainly attend any public hearings on the subject to support this proposal.

I was interested to note however, that I got this story, not from our local rag, the San Francisco Chronicle, but from the San Jose Mercury News.  the Chron seems to be limping toward oblivion these days. This is the sort of story that seems right up the Chronicle's alley, except it does not conform to their vision of a populace terrified by rampaging nightclub attendees.  I have read reports hither and yon, of reporters leaving the Chronicle like rats leaving a sinking ship.  I end up getting most of my local news from http://sfappeal.com/, http://www.sfbg.com/, http://www.nbcbayarea.com/ and the microscopically local news from Noe Valley Voice and The Mission Blog.  I like having all those diverse opinions available to read, but it saddens me that the once mighty Chronicle's reportage has deteriorated so.

Oh hey, here's the Chronicle story, and its even written by a real person! Glad to note they have not given up entirely on reporting.  For a far more sober and cynical view of these recent events, you should definitely check out Jamie Z's blog today.

We wait on Gavin to speak out for 8 months, and all we get is...

this?  Boy, am I disgusted.  Where was the Gavin when the ABC began hounding every all-ages club in San Francisco?  What is with his failure to mediate that has led a few frustrated nightlife advocates to go after the city with a lawsuit?

And here's a story that simply quadruples my cynicism about effective and informed SF city government.  The SF Appeal found some crazy copy in a grant proposal accepted by the ever-useless Public Safety Commision.  Perhaps if those clowns bothered to read something other than SFGate, they might realize that its been years since anyone has been brave enough to try throwing a rave within the city and county of San Francisco.

Lastly, I appear to be one of the few people that is sorry to see Terrance Alan leave the entertainment commision.  Whatever else his connections or interests, he has been a tireless advocate for free and open nightlife in San Francisco.  As a long time resident of this fair city, I recall the notorious police raid on one of Mr. Alan's parties that prompted the creation of the Entertainment Commission in the first place.  If any of you out there have a good written account of that police raid, please share it with me here. 

I have not been very active in my blog, sorry folks.  I am working on doing something a little more public in the next month or so.  I won't write about it till after the fact, but if you know me, I promise to invite you.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Slim's

We went in search of rock and roll, and found it last night at Slims.  BRMC was so good I am tempted to go see them again this evening.  You should go see them too.  Tickets are still available for tonight.



I have not been to Slim's since the ABC started their campaign to drive the club out of business, so it was kind of poignant to be at a sold-out, all ages show there.  I have recently been idly speculating that the ABC's vindictive campaign against all ages clubs in San Francisco may be directly tied to the DNA Lounge opting to challenge the ABC ruling against their all-ages liquor license.  The timing is about right.  If that is what actually happened, then this is inappropriate abuse of power by a state agency.

Here's something fun you can do.  As a state agency, the ABC has an online "customer service evaluation form" online.  Why not take a few moments of your day to fill out this online form and let the ABC know how *you* feel about their recent efforts to kill nightlife in San Francisco.  This is re-purposing their mandatory response form for our own purposes, but never for a moment forget that the ABC works for you.  All government agencies do.

Refraining from Mixology, but yes, its related

I am not as wound up about the arbitrary ABC campaign against rectification, as it is not quite the same thing as contemplating the loss of successful and venerated live venues to short-sighted, byzantine bureaucracy. I am glad it is getting so much press, and as I said, I am really curious what Alice Waters thinks about it all.

I have refrained from writing for a bit, but I simply have to share a great commentary written by Ben Van Houten for thebaybridged.com.  Five Ways to Think About the Crackdown on SF Venues.

He sums it up beautifully in my opinion, and I too wonder where the Convention and Visitors Bureau is on this issue.  Surely they must understand that tourists from near and far spend money at San Francisco's wonderful live venues.

This is a big music week for me, what with BRMC at Slim's and the Japonize Elephants and the Bottom of the Hill.  I'll try to get a picture or two and perhaps see what mischief the SFPD is up to with those two great clubs.