The Latest on ABC vs. SF All-Ages Music Venues
7 x 7 created this great video featuring Dawn Holliday, co-owner of Slim's, Guy Carson, owner of Cafe Du Nord, and Amy Miller of Sonicliving.com speaking about the Alcoholic Beverage Control's recent "crackdowns" on all-ages venues. The clubs' funds are all being depleted from fighting lawsuits, and staff morale is very low since they don't know how long they'll have jobs. Guy Carson has been in the business for twenty years and has never had any ABC violations. His question is, Why now, all of a sudden? His answer is that the folks in Sacramento are simply forcing their worldview onto San Francisco, which is pretty scary.
The frustrating part of the whole situation is that these venues aren't breaking any real laws, just an arbitrary rule set by the ABC that the agency isn't even required to enforce. The rule dictates that a venue needs to sell 50 percent food and 50 percent alcohol. According to the Guardian, ABC spokesman Jim Carr claims that only one unnamed venue is actually being cited specifically for the rule, whereas Café du Nord, Slim's, Swedish American Hall, Great American Music Hall, Rickshaw Stop, Bottom of the Hill, and ten other venues are being held accountable for deviating from their original business plans, in which they had been asked to "predict" the amount of food and alcohol they would sell.
The issue surrounding DNA Lounge vs. ABC is even more ridiculous. Their liquor license is being threatened for "running a disorderly house injurious to the public welfare and morals" after ABC undercover agents attended a couple of queer events. Mark Leno told the Guardian, "The ABC should enforce the law, not make statements relative to morals." Leno also said that if the problem plaguing the all-ages venues is due to technicalities with the specific license, then "let's change the license, not the venues."
Two more venues have also recently seen the wrath of ABC. Revolution Café had to stop selling beer and wine for 20 days after being cited for patrons drinking on the sidewalk adjacent to its front patio, which we're pretty sure the cafe doesn't ordinarily allow. Buckshot's owners were forced to close their doors for a few weeks after their liquor license was pulled, due to technical violations of alcohol and food regulations.
The closing of these clubs would be detrimental not only to San Francisco's culture, but to our economy as well. As the Guardian points out, many of these venues each bring in $5,000 a month in sales tax. Plus, if ABC is allowed to enforce random "rules" at will, who knows what other venues will be threatened next.
Let's all show our support by continuing to attend our favorite all-ages music venues. Keep hounding the San Francisco ABC office, email Sentaor Mark Leno, and stay abreast of the issue via Facebook and Twitter.