Commission wagering its fate

When the civil grand jury looked into problems surrounding The City’s Entertainment Commission last year, it had trouble tracking its progress — for the simple reason that the panel had never done any formal internal review.

The reviews of the commission haven’t improved much over time — especially its inability to cope with escalating violence outside of nightclubs, and its seeming lack of desire to punish club operators who encourage questionable gatherings and activities.

But a test case is coming up that should provide a peek into the commission’s performance — the operating permit for a North Beach venue that neighborhood groups and business owners say has been a lightning rod for many violent incidents on the Broadway corridor.

The new owners of a spot formerly occupied by Zebra Lounge are trying to reopen the site that was the source of many of the overflow crowds to fill the late-night hours on the street once-famed for its strip joints and barkers. But in recent years, Broadway has become a backdrop for gangbangers, drug dealers, hookers and visitors who could affectionately be called drunken thugs.

Police have been cracking down to reduce the amount of illegal activity there — sometimes sealing the street off on weekends — but the Broadway Street scene is still a major problem. And that’s why so many residents and merchants are opposed to the permit for the venue.

“It’s crazy down here now — if we had donkey shows, this could be Tijuana,” said Sam Young, a longtime city barkeep who owns nearby DragonBar. “Nobody is enforcing the rules down here and it’s gotten so dangerous [older] people don’t want to come down here anymore.”

Police brass is equally frustrated, noting that the Planning Department and the Entertainment Commission have essentially been rubber-stamping nightclub permits. Jim Dudley, captain of Central Police Station, said no matter how many times he’s asked, he’s never been able to get the Entertainment Commission to review or revoke a club’s permit.

“We put a lot of enforcement resources on the problems, but it doesn’t change the environment and that’s the bottom line,” Dudley said. “We are looking for the Entertainment Commission to help us out in these situations since it really holds all the cards.”

There have been increasing whispers that maybe the Entertainment Commission should fold. For now, it still has a hand to play.

Residents and merchants are fighting an operating permit for a North Beach venue that they say has been a lightning rod for violent incidents on the Broadway corridor.
(Examiner file photo)