Entries from March 2008 ↓

Dear Community,

The Police Permit Hearing regarding SKIN strip club that was rescheduled for 2nd April 2008 has just been canceled again.

The Police Review Board have confirmed, per our request, that they will not reschedule the hearing for April 16th out of respect for our Jewish community members and their preparations for Passover. The earliest it would be rescheduled would be April 30th, but we will confirm as soon as we know.

While this is very frustrating for us, it gives us more time to get the word out and try to rally our community attendance at this CRITICAL hearing. We had not received a lot of emails confirming attendance for this date, and so perhaps we can do better for the next date. Our community has made such strides in this case, and so far we’ve been very successful. It’s a shame to drop the ball at this late stage, so we’re hoping the extra time allows us to turn out a larger crowd.

The reason for the cancellations is that Roger Jon Diamond, attorney for the strip club, is involved in a complex and lengthy murder trial and has requested another continuance. You can read more about that trial here.

Please spread the word to your community and ask people to sign up for email updates for continuing information.

N.B. Please, please, please remember to re-register your email address with the new email server we are using in order to continue receiving updates. Our old server was blocking emails from being sent out, and we’re now building a secure list at the new server. Simply re-enter your email address on the right hand side. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

Because our subscriber list has grown so rapidly, we’ve had to upgrade to a more reliable email system.

If you have already signed up for email updates, you should have recently received an email asking you to reconfirm your address. Since we are shutting down the old system, it’s important that you click the confirmation link in the email.

Please do this ASAP, as news is changing rapidly and we want to keep you up to date.

If you haven’t received the confirmation email — or if you haven’t yet signed up — you can join the new list by entering your email in the column at right.

The Police Permit Review Hearing has been rescheduled for Wednesday April 2nd at 2:30pm. As before, the hearing will be held at Parker Center Auditorium, downtown.

Wednesday 2nd April, 2:30pm
Parker Center Auditorium
150 N. Los Angeles Street, 90012

As a reminder, this is a crucial hearing in front of the Police Permit Review Board who will consider the Hearing Examiner’s Report (download) and make a final decision regarding the club’s operating permit.

Please scroll back a few posts to read highlights of the report and more information about why our community’s attendance is critical at this hearing. We know that the club will be fighting each and every recommendation and arguing for a full permit with NO RESTRICTIONS. We cannot let that happen. We need the Panel to continue to hear our strong and unified voices.

As you know, the hearing was rescheduled much sooner that we anticipated. As such, we’re under considerable pressure to get the word out as quickly as possible. Your help is essential. Please send this information to your friends and neighbors. If you (or they) are unable to attend, please write a brief letter addressed to the Police Permit Review Panel indicating your endorsement of the report’s findings. We will be happy to deliver all correspondence to the Panel at the hearing on the 2nd. You may mail your letter, no later than Thursday to:

Reynier Village Neighborhood Association
1800 S. Robertson Blvd., #107
Los Angeles, CA 90035

or fax to (310) 837-3325.

Please check the site regularly over the course of the next week for further updates and information about transportation to Parker Center from the neighborhood, and free parking downtown at City Hall. We are working hard to make both these things happen.

We’ve just heard that the Police Permit Review Panel hearing date has been moved. The hearing on 19th March has been canceled, and will be rescheduled for April.

As things stand, it will either be April 16th or April 30th, but this has not been confirmed. As soon as it is, we will let you know.

Please keep checking the website regularly as we will post news as soon as we have it. Thank you.

The Hearing Examiner for the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Permit Review Panel has turned in his report. This report is a result of all the letters you’ve written and all the statements you made at the hearing on January 28th.

And we can hardly have hoped for more…

Our community’s concerns were heard and comprehensively reflected in his report (click to download the report).

As you will read, the Hearing Examiner recommended that the 7-member Police Permit Review Panel deny the club’s operating permit. Furthermore, if they decide that the permit cannot be denied, he recommends numerous stringent conditions on the permit, including:

• Limited operating hours: 7pm-12am weekdays and 4pm-1am on weekends.
• Adequate on site parking
• No sign on the property indicating usage
• ID scanners with cameras
• Entertainers to be classified as employees
• Club to provide adequate clean-up of area
• Club to engage security firm to patrol during business hours and up to one hour after closing
• Minimum age requirement of 19 to enter
• Move entrance of the club to the side of the building
• Club provide Commission with names and addresses of all owners of the club
• Name and phone number of manager be posted prominently in the club
• Club to provide insurance policy naming City of Los Angeles as additional insured and/or bond to cover any damage or injury that may occur
• Patrons and staff to be given Breathalyzer (PAS) test prior to entering.

On Wednesday 19th March at 2:30 pm the 7-member Police Permit Review Panel will consider this report and hear arguments from both sides at Parker Center in downtown Los Angeles. To ensure that the Panel thoroughly considers each of the Examiner’s recommendations, including outright denial of the permit, our community’s attendance is critical.

Wednesday 19 March, 2:30pm
Parker Center Auditorium
150 N. Los Angeles Street, 90012

This hearing is where the decision will be made, and although the report appears very favorable, we can absolutely count on the fact that the club’s lawyer, Roger Jon Diamond, will fight each and every restriction for all he’s worth. If you were at the hearing on January 28th you will have heard him tell the Examiner that he expects the permit to be granted with “NO RESTRICTIONS.”

We cannot afford to sit back at this critical final stage. Although the time and location of the hearing may be inconvenient, this is a standing panel meeting that we cannot change. However, we’re working hard to see if we can provide free buses from the neighborhood to the hearing, and to help organize carpooling and free parking downtown.

We’re doing everything we can to get the word out, but your help is essential. Please send this information to your friends and neighbors. If you (or they) are unable to attend, please write a brief letter addressed to the Police Permit Review Panel indicating your endorsement of the report’s findings. We will be happy to deliver all correspondence to the Panel at the hearing on the 19th. You may mail your letter, no later than March 15th to:

Reynier Village Neighborhood Association
1800 S. Robertson Blvd., #107
Los Angeles, CA 90035

or fax to (310) 837-3325.

We’re in the home-stretch now, and we’ve done so well. Let’s keep up the pressure and bring this home.

We’ve just heard that the date has been set for the 7-member Police Permit Panel to rule on the operating permit for SKIN.

The hearing will take place on Wednesday 19th March at 2:30pm.

The hearing will be held downtown at Parker Center. Although it is during the work week, we strongly urge everyone to attend. It is vitally important that we’re there in force to continue to represent our position. Based on the turnout and extent of community opposition at the last hearing, the Police Commission have cleared the schedule of all other items that day, and moved the hearing to the Auditorium to accommodate 200-300 people. We expect a lot of media coverage and we need to turn out a crowd. We will have the opportunity to comment directly to the panel before they make their decision. Let’s not forget what impact we had the last time our community turned out.

The Hearing Examiner has made his report and recommended restrictions, but we can count on the fact that Roger Diamond will be fighting each one. At the January 28th Hearing, we all heard Diamond state that he expects the permit to be granted to his clients with no restrictions at all. We need to be there to show the panel that our community is not giving in.

We’ll be posting more information in the coming weeks. We’re working on arranging parking for the community downtown, setting up carpooling from the neighborhood and disseminating information about what the Hearing Examiner has recommended. As soon as we know more we’ll be posting it here.

In the meantime, please make note of the following information and share it widely with your friends and neighbors.

Police Permit Hearing
Wednesday 19 March, 2:30pm
Parker Center Auditorium
150 N. Los Angeles Street, 90012

And if you haven’t yet signed up for updates, please do that now. With the clock ticking on this fight, it’s important that we are able to reach you all as quickly as possible whenever there is news.