Statewide Law Proposed to Limit Patronage of Teens at Dance Clubs

A group of state legislators and local officials said Monday they are proposing new statewide legislation to crack down on drug, noise, and crime problems associated with teen-age dance clubs with a midnight ban on patrons under 18.

The announcement was made outside the Odyssey, 8471 Beverly Blvd., a club that caters primarily to adolescents. Neighbors have complained that the club’s patrons, some as young as 13 and 14, are a constant disturbance in the area because they litter, shout, drink, use drugs, urinate and engage in sex in the streets upon leaving the club as late as dawn.

“This is a serious neighborhood problem that has been bothering these people since the club opened eight years ago,” said City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, who represents the neighborhood where the club is located. “But this is not just a neighborhood problem. It’s a problem for our entire city, for our entire society.. . .

“The kid who is here at 4 a.m. isn’t going to be ready to go to class at 8:30 a.m. Which right do we have more responsibility to defend, the kid’s right to dance, or the kid’s right to be educated?”

Clubs that cater to minors and do not serve liquor have proliferated in the state over the past several years. They are not required to close at 2 a.m., as are adult bars with liquor licenses.

In addition to banning youths under 18 from dance halls after midnight, the bill would require that anyone 15 or under be accompanied by a parent, and make teen-club owners responsible for notifying police of teen-age drug and alcohol use on the premises.

The bill will be introduced by Assembly Majority Leader Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles), Assemblywoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblyman Richard Alatorre, (D-Los Angeles).

A double-decked bus hired by the club’s owners that was filled with teen-agers drove up during the press conference. The young patrons held signs that read, “Less government, more dancing!” and “George Washington used to boogie.”

“I don’t feel it’s a state legislator’s right to tell children when to come home,” said Roger Lee, 16, of Granada Hills. “I have a curfew and I’m home by then. But what these people are trying to do is blame us for what 1% or 3% of the kids are doing after they leave. It’s the old elementary school approach: If one kid is bad, punish the whole class.”

The Odyssey has been engaged in legal battles with the City of Los Angeles for several years. It has been denied a liquor permit by the City Council and cited for exceeding the legal noise level. Last August the Los Angeles Police Commission gave it six months to close its doors at 2 a.m., post security guards and admit no one under 18.

According to an announcement posted at the club, it closes at 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 4 a.m. other nights. Some of the youthful protesters said openly Monday that they routinely get into the club because identification is rarely checked.

The Police Commission today is scheduled to consider whether the club is complying with its order. Yaroslavsky predicted that the commission would vote to revoke the club’s dance hall permit but added “it will probably be five years of legal battles until this is resolved.”

Club Owners Opposed

Odyssey co-owners Scott Harvey and Chris Cox, who were present at the press conference, pledged to fight any efforts against their club in court.

“Dancing is a mood or a feeling of expression that’s covered by your First Amendment,” said Harvey, 34, who denounced neighbors’ complaints as “trumped up.”

When club patrons asked to speak at the news conference, neighbors angrily shouted them down.

“It’s like living in Yankee Stadium in the World Series around here at night,” said one resident who asked not to be identified because, he said, teen-age dancers had slashed his tires, made crank phone calls to his home and thrown stones through his windows after he had made his opposition to the club public.

Yaroslavsky sharply criticized Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates for failing to enforce existing age-limit laws.

Police Response

Asked to respond to the criticism, LAPD spokesman Dan Cooke said, “We don’t have enough officers to take care of drugs and a lot of other very serious problems that exist in this city.”

Some of the teen-agers who came on the bus said they would welcome additional police vigilance outside the club to crack down on lawbreakers. But, they said, it would be useless to close the dance halls to cut back on drugs or after-hours activities.

“We’ve all been out after midnight for years now,” said Tim Mullen, 18, of Simi Valley. “And as for the drugs, who goes to a club for drugs? I can go down to school and get better drugs than at any club.”