Solana Beach to Allow Teen Dancing at Club; Vander Given Chance

The city manager of Solana Beach said Thursday he will issue a teen-age nightclub permit for the Distillery West disco, deciding to allow operator Richard Henry Vander to “prove himself,” despite opposition from the Sheriff’s Department.

City Manager Michael Huse said he had to balance Vander’s criminal record against public support for a non-alcoholic nightspot for coastal teens from 16 to 20.

“Here is a person with a criminal record, but he has served his time and paid his debt,” Huse said. “I’m not sure it would have been a good example for the young people of our community to have a government agency say that somehow he should not be given a chance because of his past.”

Teen-Agers Argued Case

Two weeks ago, a group of teen-agers and parents pleaded with the City Council to issue a land-use permit for Distillery West--a first step toward Huse’s decision on whether to issue a teen dance permit.

“The community has shown in the last few months that there is definitely a need in the community for a place for teen-agers,” Huse said. “I think it is appropriate to allow the young people to prove themselves and for the applicant to prove himself.”

The Sheriff’s Department had recommended against issuing the permit.

“I’m disappointed,” said Lt. Dennis Runyen of the vice squad. “I hate to see someone with that kind of background and character run a teen dance club. If the city saw fit to revoke his adult permit, why is he now fit for a teen permit?”

Sheriff’s deputies arrested both Vander and his wife in August for allowing teens into the club. On that basis, the city revoked the club’s adult permit. Vander has a prior record that includes, among other things, a conviction for the sale of cocaine.

“All we can do is make our recommendation, and then it’s out of our hands,” Runyen said. “I can’t tell parents what to do with their kids, but I wouldn’t let my own kids go there.”

Vander’s wife, Tanya, said Distillery West will reopen as soon as possible, with a cover charge of $5 a head. There will be recorded and live music.

“Without us, there is just no place for the kids to go, except for desolate beaches or out into the darkness or parties without parents,” she said. “We’re going to do everything we can to please people and provide something the community can support.”

Rules Will Be Stiff

Huse said the Vanders and Distillery West will have to meet strict regulations set down by the council--including hiring security personnel, preventing drinking and rowdiness in the parking lot, and ensuring that noise does not disturb the residents of nearby condominiums.

“We will not accept any excuses,” Huse said.

Distillery West, on Sierra Avenue just down the block from a beachfront park, will be the only dance parlor for teen-agers along the North County coast. A similar establishment, Club Zu, closed several years ago.

The homeowners’ association of the Las Brisas condominium complex, across the street from Distillery West, had opposed the city issuing a teen-age dance permit. The condominiums sell from $250,000 to $500,000 and many have ocean views.

“I think the city is leaning over backward to accommodate Distillery West and avoid legal action,” said association board member Jim Zeller. “In the past, the noise has been terrible. We’ll be listening, and if it gets out of hand, we’ll make our complaints known.”

Teens’ Mother Is Pleased

Pamela Inman, an Encinitas mother of two teen-agers, cheered the news that Distillery West will reopen. She had testified on Richard Vander’s behalf at the council.

“I think it’s great,” Inman said. “This fellow who is the manager (Vander) has gotten the kids to work hard in fixing the place up. It’s wonderful for the kids who will finally have a place to go.”

She said that Vander’s background does not bother her.

“I figure everyone has a skeleton in their closet,” she said. “If the kids get told they don’t have a chance to make things right, that’s not a good thing.”

Vander, 35, a former music store manager and bartender, served a 15-month prison term in Texas ending in 1980 for selling cocaine and receiving stolen property. He also had misdemeanor convictions in the 1970s for theft, carrying a weapon, possessing a controlled substance and passing bad checks.

He served 79 days in San Diego County jail in 1981 for receiving stolen property and was sent back to jail in 1984 for violating probation.

Vander and his wife face misdemeanor charges in Vista Municipal Court for allowing teens into the club on at least four occasions this summer.

On the application for the teen license, Richard Vander’s parents are listed as the club owners, and his wife and two employees are listed as the managers.