VISTA : City Will Close Troublesome Bar
The El Sombrero Cafe bar in Vista, scene of numerous incidents of violence and disturbances over the years, will be bought by the city for $170,000 and shut down.
The action taken Tuesday by the City Council culminates eight years of legal maneuvering over the South Santa Fe Avenue bar. After declaring the El Sombrero a public nuisance in 1984, the city at various times has forced the owners to hire security guards and limit its hours of operation.
But continued complaints by neighboring merchants and reports of crime to the Sheriff’s Department led the council last October to look for ways to close the bar permanently. City officials said the bar would be razed to make way for widening of South Santa Fe Avenue and, possibly, a parking lot.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
