Beverly Hills Tightens Private Club Ordinance

The Beverly Hills City Council has voted to close several loopholes in a law that has allowed the operators of private discos to open their doors to the public.

The council unanimously approved the changes Tuesday night at the request of City Atty. Charles Haughton, whose office uncovered numerous practices which, he said, violated the intent but not the letter of the city’s ordinance regulating private clubs.

“The changes will put more teeth in the law and protect club patrons and residents,” Mayor Annabelle Heiferman said.

Under the new measure, which will take effect next month, clubs will be required to maintain a list of members and charge at least $25 to join. It also requires clubs to set standards for granting and revoking membership.

The regulation also will require private club operators to disclose more details about their financial backers.

There are three private disco clubs in the city--the Daisy on Beverly Drive, Max 151 on Doheny Drive and Nightscene, the former Chez Moi, on Rodeo Drive. In the past, residents living near Max 151 and Nightscene have complained about the noise and traffic problems caused by the clubs and have attempted to have their licenses revoked.

The operating permits are reviewed annually.

Councilman Ed Brown said that all clubs are going to generate some problems in the community.

“The regulation changes are not designed to drive the clubs out of business,” he said, “but we want to create the least amount of negative impact.”

Haughton said that his office had found that under the old law, clubs were not required to list all those who stood to benefit from their operation. The new regulation requires that the names be listed. “The purpose of requiring fuller discloser is to ensure that private clubs are operated by reputable persons and to avoid the club being a front for criminal activities,” Haughton told the council.

The staff also found that some clubs were circumventing membership fee requirements by admitting people who made a first payment or down payment of $5 on their membership fee. One club, he said, did not keep records of the people who had made such down payments. “All this amounts to is a cover charge,” he said.

City officials said they also found that one club, which they would not name, hired people to go to local bars soliciting patrons to attend their private club. The management gave the patron’s $5 entrance fee to the solicitor and the club made its profit from the sale of drinks.

“This is basically a fraud on those members who join a private club with the belief that it is exclusive and use is restricted to members,” Haughton wrote in a statement to the council.