Ibiza must tame it down
Four members of the Whittier City Council who charitably gave Ibiza Steak and Lounge nightclub what we felt was an undeserved "second chance' to get its act together redeemed themselves slightly with proposed new conditions of operation.
In an article Tuesday, we revealed that on orders of the council, 27 new proposed requirements for Ibiza to retain its business license were drafted and went before council Tuesday evening.
Last month we commended newest City Council member Cathy Warner for casting the lone vote to revoke Ibiza's conditional use permit in keeping with recommendations of the city staff and city Planning Commission.
The other four council members opted to give Ibiza and its owner, Ralph Verdugo, another chance, subject to new conditions that were not specified at that time.
We took the view that Ibiza and Verdugo had already had all of the chances they deserved. And, looking ahead, it didn't seem that Ibiza could ever be compatible with future plans to build fairly expensive condominiums immediately next door to the nightclub.
Ibiza has been in Uptown Whittier for four years. At last month's council hearing, staff reviewed the nightclub's spotty history, citing the conviction of Ibiza and Verdugo on five misdemeanor counts for allowing exotic dance shows in violation of regulations that existed at the time. The staff report also cited 256 calls for police service to Ibiza from April 2002 to April 2004, a number called "excessive.'
City safety officials said also there were building code violations for allowing people to gather in the basement without proper fire exits. Furthermore, when major events were planned, such as a boxing match and an appearance by controversial rapper Snoop Dog, no notice was given to police, according to Chief David Singer.
As far as we're concerned, that history reflects enough bad faith to close Ibiza.
Short of that, after reviewing the 27 new rules that went before the City Council Tuesday, they definitely would require a taming down of Ibiza.
Among the 27 newly promulgated conditions are: no patrons admitted after 12:45 a.m.; no alcoholic beverages served after midnight; require a corporate officer on site at all times and allowing no outside advertisers; several rules regulating facilities and numbers of people allowed at one time in women's restrooms; 30 days notice to the city before the club hosts live entertainment.
To be sure, the very least that must happen is for Ibiza to be tamed down to the point where it is compatible with a small suburban community such as Whittier that cherishes its residential charm.
Since the council elected to give the nightclub a second chance, this at least shows good intentions to support an action plan to mitigate objections to the nightclub.
We should add here, that a letter writer criticized our previous editorial for not pointing out that Ibiza's ownership and management have contributed significant dollars and good deeds to local charitable causes.
OK, we thank them for any money they donated to worthy causes, but would prefer a showing of respect for those people who like it here mainly because it's a pleasant place to live and perchance to browse during a quiet evening.
Four members of the Whittier City Council who charitably gave Ibiza Steak and Lounge nightclub what we felt was an undeserved "second chance' to get its act together redeemed themselves slightly with proposed new conditions of operation.
In an article Tuesday, we revealed that on orders of the council, 27 new proposed requirements for Ibiza to retain its business license were drafted and went before council Tuesday evening.
Last month we commended newest City Council member Cathy Warner for casting the lone vote to revoke Ibiza's conditional use permit in keeping with recommendations of the city staff and city Planning Commission.
The other four council members opted to give Ibiza and its owner, Ralph Verdugo, another chance, subject to new conditions that were not specified at that time.
We took the view that Ibiza and Verdugo had already had all of the chances they deserved. And, looking ahead, it didn't seem that Ibiza could ever be compatible with future plans to build fairly expensive condominiums immediately next door to the nightclub.
Ibiza has been in Uptown Whittier for four years. At last month's council hearing, staff reviewed the nightclub's spotty history, citing the conviction of Ibiza and Verdugo on five misdemeanor counts for allowing exotic dance shows in violation of regulations that existed at the time. The staff report also cited 256 calls for police service to Ibiza from April 2002 to April 2004, a number called "excessive.'
City safety officials said also there were building code violations for allowing people to gather in the basement without proper fire exits. Furthermore, when major events were planned, such as a boxing match and an appearance by controversial rapper Snoop Dog, no notice was given to police, according to Chief David Singer.
As far as we're concerned, that history reflects enough bad faith to close Ibiza.
Short of that, after reviewing the 27 new rules that went before the City Council Tuesday, they definitely would require a taming down of Ibiza.
Among the 27 newly promulgated conditions are: no patrons admitted after 12:45 a.m.; no alcoholic beverages served after midnight; require a corporate officer on site at all times and allowing no outside advertisers; several rules regulating facilities and numbers of people allowed at one time in women's restrooms; 30 days notice to the city before the club hosts live entertainment.
To be sure, the very least that must happen is for Ibiza to be tamed down to the point where it is compatible with a small suburban community such as Whittier that cherishes its residential charm.
Since the council elected to give the nightclub a second chance, this at least shows good intentions to support an action plan to mitigate objections to the nightclub.
We should add here, that a letter writer criticized our previous editorial for not pointing out that Ibiza's ownership and management have contributed significant dollars and good deeds to local charitable causes.
OK, we thank them for any money they donated to worthy causes, but would prefer a showing of respect for those people who like it here mainly because it's a pleasant place to live and perchance to browse during a quiet evening.
