SAN DIEGO : Penalty Imposed on Red Onion Club
A city hearing officer has imposed a $60,000 fine and three-day shutdown on the Red Onion nightclub in Mission Beach, which had been cited by investigators for crowding and nudity.
The officer rejected an original city-imposed sanction of a 60-day suspension of the club’s cabaret permit as Draconian because it would cost the club $20,000 a day in lost business.
Instead, officer William H. Hitt ruled that the club must shut down for three days, pay a $60,000 fine and operate without violating city codes for a probationary period of three years.
The city took action against the Red Onion as the result of an investigation that began in December, 1990, officials said. Investigators found that crowding created a fire hazard on two occasions, and that a dance performance at the club violated city codes barring nudity in public places, officials said.
The club was also the target of numerous complaints by neighbors about crowding, vandalism and late-night rowdiness, officials said. Since then, management has taken steps to reduce the problems, city officials said.
The Red Onion appealed the city sanctions to the hearing officer in late 1991.
If the hearing officer’s decision is appealed within 10 days, the matter will go before the City Council’s Public Services and Safety Committee.
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