Garden Grove : Owner of Bar to Request Permission to Reopen

The owner of a Buena Clinton bar that was shut down by the city in August after police testified that it served as a “focal point” for narcotics and prostitution activity in the crime-plagued area will take his battle to the City Council today.

Ezra Joseph, owner of the Sin Not bar, is attempting to persuade the City Council to reinstate his permit, but his attorney, Jerome Stark, said Friday that he fully expects to be turned down. The rejection would be followed first by a claim against the city for payment of losses Joseph has incurred from the closure, and then by a lawsuit, Stark said.

Stark estimated his client’s losses at about $40,000, mostly from loss of revenue and from making lease payments that will continue until Dec. 31. Police have testified that undercover officers purchased heroin at the bar at least 10 times. Police also cited incidents including stabbings, a rape, prostitution arrests and the generally high number of calls for police services at the bar.