Santa Ana : Judge Refuses Request to Reopen Topless Bar

A Superior Court judge refused a request to reopen a topless bar closed by the city last Friday for fire code violations and set a hearing for Dec. 18 for the bar owner’s lawsuit alleging that the closure violated his civil rights.

About 25 employees of the Coconut Palms, 2120 West 17th St., walked a picket line at the club earlier this week to protest what they said was a reluctance on the city’s part to review their efforts to correct the problems, which included seating and extension cord violations. Owner Mohammed Joher said he feels that he’s “been singled out” by the city because of the topless entertainment.

Deputy City Atty. Tom Ong said the bar was cited as part of a routine inspection program. He added that the property cannot be reinspected until the violations are corrected with the proper building permits. “If you fix it without those permits, you’re in violation of city building codes,” he said. “So what are we going to do? Go out and inspect a misdemeanor violation?”

Club manager Cindy Novello said: “We’re not the most popular type of club in Orange County” with city officials. She said the bar wasn’t closed as part of the city’s current sweep of bars for alleged drug, weapon and prostitution activity.