West Hollywood : Restaurant Shut Down
The City Council has voted unanimously Tuesday to revoke the restaurant license for Oki Dog, a fast-food eatery on Santa Monica Boulevard that city officials and neighbors said has been a gathering place for drug users, prostitutes and undesirables.
The council, overriding staff recommendations for a 60-day suspension of the license, upheld a decision by the Business License Commission to shut down the restaurant.
Neighbors of Oki Dog have charged for years that the owners did little to discourage the congregation of prostitutes, drug dealers and homeless people from nearby Plummer Park.
“This place is a mecca for the dregs of our society,” said Councilman John Heilman. “It may be a tradition in the city, but it is a bad tradition.”
Attorney Louis Bernstein, representing owner Sakae Sueyoshi, told the council that his client did not speak or read English very well and did not understand the significance of the Tuesday hearing.
The council denied Bernstein’s request to present new evidence based on Sueyoshi’s language barrier, saying the Oki Dog owner understood the significance enough to notify his attorney.
Bernstein said he would file a suit contesting the council’s decision. Meanwhile, the restaurant is closed.
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