Van Nuys Neighbors Declare War on Club : Homeowners Vow to Retaliate If Necessary to Rid Area of Vandalism, Litter and Noise

Since moving into their Van Nuys home a year ago February, Carlos and Luz Passalacqua say they and their eight children get only a couple of good nights of sleep each week.

Their 8-year-old son Reuben has been falling asleep during class.

Carlos Passalacqua blames his family’s sleepless nights on the goings-on around the El Gato/Valley Club, at 7324 Sepulveda Blvd., situated next door to the family’s modest three-bedroom Van Nuys home.

The Valley Club advertises “Kamikaze Night,” “Men’s Hot Buns Contest,” “World Championship Wet T-Shirt Contest” and circulates flyers which read, “Drink Till You Drop!” It draws several hundred young people for dancing nightly Wednesdays through Saturdays.

“It’s a nice quiet street, but the only thing that really puts a strain on it is this thing on the corner,” Carlos Passalacqua said of the club.

Cars Vandalized

“Every day I get up for work, I pick up about 15 bottles and pages from porno magazines and newspapers,” said the Peruvian-born maintenance mechanic. “But the worst thing I’ve seen were these people fighting and jumping on my car.”

The Passalacquas, and more than 100 other area residents, are fed up with the noise, vandalism and litter that they say are brought into their quiet neighborhood by patrons of the Valley Club. “We’re an angry mob now,” said resident Julie Strong.

More than 100 residents on Leadwell and Wyandotte streets, which adjoin Sepulveda Boulevard, have signed a petition and sent copies to Councilman Joel Wachs as well as Assemblyman Tom Bane and state Sen. Alan Robbins.

They say if things don’t change soon, they will take the matter into their own hands, picketing or blocking the street off with their cars. “Either we have to sell our homes and go away or we may have to do something violent,” said Anton Garabedian, 30.

13 Arrests in 2 Months

Police said they have made 13 arrests at the Valley Club in April and May, and the reported crimes this year range from serious felonies such as forcible rape and robbery to misdemeanors such as possession of alcohol by a minor.

“It’s one of the most blatant problem spots that we have in our area today,” said Sgt. Jeff Sheldon, who supervises vice officers.

Residents of these modest, but well-tended, two- and three-bedroom tract homes said they have been the victims of attempted car thefts and their lawns the receptacles for countless liquor bottles, beer cans and even stray articles of clothing.

“It’s like Sodom and Gomorrah down here on Wednesday and Thursday nights,” said resident Carolyn Goldsmith.

Greg Anderson, who lives a block away from the club, said that on weekends the sidewalk in front of his home is often littered with condoms.

Bottles Tossed Into Bushes

Marala Garabedian, Anton’s sister, said she had to cut down three-foot-tall bushes that lined the curb in front of their home, shortly after they moved in last year, because she would often find the shrubs stocked with beer bottles.

“The neighborhood has really gone to pot in the last year, year and a half,” Anderson said. “We have brawls in front of our house all the time, but when the brawls turn to car bashings, that’s when I call the cops.”

Despite undercover vice raids, police officers can do little more to alleviate the problem than commiserate. “I sure wouldn’t want to live around there,” said Sgt. Sheldon. “I feel sorry for those people.”

Just Thursday night, police were pelted by rocks and beer bottles, said Sgt. Joe Brazas. They arrested five people, one who wielded a police baton and another who ran from officers and later assaulted them. “The situation was almost like a ‘Miami Vice’ episode,” Brazas said.

The Valley Club may cater to the under-21 set, but it does not allow them to drink, said manager Sallah Mudaris.

No one at D & M Restaurant Consultants, listed as the owner of the Valley Club, could be reached for comment, but Mudaris said the club is trying to respond to neighborhood concerns and comply with city requirements.

Manager Defends Club

Mudaris said, however, that the club--once a Mexican restaurant--is being inordinately pressured by area residents and blamed for problems that are not of its making. “The club is trying to get along with the neighbors,” Mudaris said. “We cooperate with everybody--the police, the city, but everybody is jumping on us.”

Van Nuys Homeowners Assn. President David Reed said the club owners have not been responsive enough to the neighbor’s concerns.

“They’re paying a lot of lip service to local residents but not really making any real efforts to correct the problem,” Reed said.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has received dozens of letters complaining about the club. “We’ve had worse places in the Valley, but we haven’t had this many complaints from residents in a long time,” said Alcoholic Beverage Control Board District Administrator Jim Smith.

2 Counts Filed

Smith said the ABC has filed formal accusations against the club on two counts: one based on excessive noise and another for not operating as a restaurant as its license stipulates. The club will face a hearing Wednesday on these charges, which stem from ABC checks made last year, Smith said. He is planning to recommend that the hearing judge suspend the Valley Club’s license for 40 days.

Mudaris denied the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s allegations that the noise level was too high and that its restaurant/bar license was being violated.

He said that about six months ago the club installed a $40,000 soundproofing system and that much of the noise that residents complain about is caused by sophisticated stereo equipment in club patrons’ cars.

Mudaris also said that the reason the club was not serving meals when the department made its check last year was because the dining area was being remodeled. A check through the club Wednesday night showed that the dining room was also closed that night. Mudaris said that it was again being remodeled.

Homeless Blamed

Mudaris also said that much of the litter residents attribute to the club was actually brought in by homeless people who stay in a nearby parking lot and vacant lot.

He said that as a response to neighbors’ complaints, three employees from the club patrol the neighborhood on foot, picking up trash left behind by the club patrons. Mudaris said he takes it upon himself to drive through the neighborhood, flashlight in hand, telling young people to lower their radios and get out of residents’ yards.

“Yeah, it’s a club, they drink and sometimes they fight, but we have it under control,” Mudaris said.

Mudaris denied police allegations that the bar had served liquor to three minors last week, saying that the drinks were merely on the tables at which minors sat.

“The kids weren’t drinking it and the bartenders and waitresses didn’t serve it,” he said, referring to the recent incidents.

‘Bouncers’ Handle Problems

Mudaris stressed the role of the well-muscled employees who handle security and stop minors from drinking and keep those under 18 out altogether. “Any problem and they just step in,” Mudaris said.

Last Wednesday, “bouncers” stepped in and tossed out half a dozen young men who were under 21 and drinking. These actions were seen by ousted patrons as a sudden crackdown prompted by last week’s arrests.

Chris Esper, 18, said a 21-year-old friend had bought him an alcoholic beverage. By the time club employees confiscated his drink and ordered him to leave, Esper had nearly downed it.

“I come here every Wednesday night and they hadn’t caught me until tonight,” said Esper, a senior at Calabasas High School. “I’ve never seen so many bouncers. Before, they’d just take your drinks away, now they’re not letting anyone get away with it. They’re really cracking down.”