Arts & Entertainment

What Should It Take For Los Globos to Keep Dancing?

The owner already says he'll cut the blinking lights and paint the building more brightly. The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council will consider other possibilities Wednesday.

 

The Los Angeles Police Commission will soon consider whether to grant permanent entertainment, music and dancing permits to Los Globos, the embattled and historic Silver Lake nightclub.

The club is currently operating under temporary permits granted last fall after a temporary shut down just a few days before Halloween.

Find out what's happening in Echo Park-Silver Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The huge first floor of the club remains closed, awaiting a dance permit, though management has opened a small bar, La Esquinita, there since.

The Los Angeles Police Department relied on complaints from neighbors gathered and organized by the Public Safety Committee of the Silver Lake Neighborhodo Council in the initial closure.

Find out what's happening in Echo Park-Silver Lakewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Much back and forth has ensued since the club reopened, with continued complaints from neighbors about parking difficulties, unbearable noise and light, and public urination and worse.

Owner Steve Edelson bought the club about a year and half ago.

He and his staff of bookers and managers have appeared at several meetings organized by the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, which has been attempting to broker a "harmonious" resolution.

Los Globos has emphasized the important role the club plays in bringing Latin musics--both traditional and alternative-- to audiences.

Speakers also emphasized Edelson's efforts to bring a more mature audience to the venue, through its Thursday night New Fangled Opry, an alternative variety and vaudeville evening.

Community members have also noted the refuge Los Globos has become for gay dance culture as other venues close.

Edelson recently provided a list of voluntary conditions he would honor in any permit granted by the Los Angeles Police Commission.

These include repainting the building a more "festive" color than its current black.

The building's flashing lights would also be turned off and additional parking would be provided in three nearby lots.

Afterhours clubs (from 2 a.m. to 6 p.m.) would be limited to Friday, Saturday and holidays--and only on the sound-proof second floor.

Alcohol would be prohibited from the outdoor patio area that causes noise for many neighbors.

A full set of Edelson's proposed conditions are above.

On Wednesday, the full Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Board will consider a draft of letter to the Police Commission containing its own recommended conditions for the permit.

Key items include closing the outdoor patio no later than midnight, providing free parking for all club patrons and maintaining a security crew to patrol the area around the club.

The draft letter also recommends the club hire cleaning crews to maintain streets and alleys around the club, including the stretch from Marathon Avenue to Sunset Boulevard.

The draft letter also asks the commission limit the club's permit to two years,  with compliance reviews at six-month intervals along the way.

A full set of the conditions proposed by the SLNC is also above.

Edelson expressed his frustration with the process in an email to Echo Park-Silver Lake Patch.

He said he believes it unlikely that any proposal will satisfy neighbors.

He also points to a door-to-door survey done by his workers in the neighborhood showing support for the club.

He says he was unable to present at a recent meeting.

Many neighbors and council members do support the idea of the club and Edelson's right to protect his investment in it.

But they worry about the ability of the club to manage security and other issues given the club's close proximity to a residential neighborhood.

The Police Commission could act on the permit as early as this week.


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