Thursday, April 16, 1998
Dancing dispute to be decided
WESTWOOD: Local residents hope to discourage approval for
nightclub’s possible permit
By Rachel Munoz
Daily Bruin Staff
The moment of truth for dancing in Westwood will surface at 10
o’clock this morning. Will Duet Restaurant and Nightclub be the
first establishment in many years permitted to have dancing in
Westwood … or will the Village remain motionless?
In today’s public hearing, the city hearing examiner will
consider an application for a conditional use permit, which if
approved, will allow dancing at Duet. The topic is of much debate
for several residents and students in the area. Councilman Michael
Feuer is expected to speak at the hearing and finally reveal where
he stands on the dancing issue. "I am in the process of deciding
how to proceed," he said after a meeting with Duet this week.
Others expected to speak at the hearing are homeowners who plan
to formally oppose the establishment. One community member hoping
to stop the acceptance of the application is Sandy Brown,
co-president of the Holmby-Westwood Homeowners Association. She has
led many neighborhood activists in the plight to stop Duet from
permitting dancing in its business.
"I am hoping that (the application for the permit) will be
denied," she said. "(Duet) isn’t willing to stay within the law,
and it is a problem." The problems Brown speaks of have been
happening over the past four months. The restaurant and nightclub
has been cited four times by the Los Angeles Police Department for
allowing dancing without a permit. Almost three weeks ago, on March
28, Duet was cited for overcrowding and was closed down for the
night.
Brown is hoping that these five incidents play an important role
in deciding whether Duet should be allowed to have a conditional
use permit. "A citation is not a charge, it is an allegation that
there was a breech of the law," defends Chris Mallick, owner of
Duet.
Conversely, Mallick believes that their past will prove that
Duet should be allowed to offer dancing. He notes that there hasn’t
been any violence sparked by the club, and he feels that Duet has
brought life to Westwood Boulevard and business to the Village. But
owner Mallick feels that Duet has brought a lot more than business
to the Village. Last month Duet held a press conference to discuss
the racial issues that the owners felt were surrounding the
club.
"Duet is being harassed and singled out because we have a
largely African-American, Asian and Hispanic clientele," Mallick
said in the press release. However, Brown feels that Westwood is
one of the most racially-mixed communities. "Race is not the issue;
compliance is the issue," she said.
Brown also finds fault with the city’s staff report written
about Duet for the hearing. "It’s 100-percent wrong," she said,
explaining that there are certain findings that have to be made on
behalf of the establishment regarding the location and character of
the business. She feels that truthful findings are not currently
present in the report.
Despite Brown’s views of the staff report, Mallick feels that
his business is supported in the Village, by an estimated 97
percent of the merchants. However, Duet’s good standing with their
neighbors hasn’t brought the nightclub and restaurant any business.
Mallick reports that business for Duet is off by 80 percent. "We
have lost a number of party bookings, and I think that the
marketplace is confused if we are open or not," he said.
Right now, Duet is taking it one day at a time and hopes to
receive the conditional use permit today. "If reason prevails we
will be granted a conditional use permit," Mallick said. Brown
assures that no matter what the decision is for the conditional use
permit, an appeal is always possible for both sides.
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Chris Ivicevich asks students to sign a petition to support
dancing at Duet.