Arcadia : Karaoke Club Moratorium

Responding to police and the Planning Department’s fears for public safety after two shooting incidents at local karaoke clubs, the City Council voted unanimously last week to extend a temporary ban on any new establishments for an additional 10 months and 15 days.

“Quite a few cities have decided to have a moratorium. We all want a breather from more clubs. We have seen some quite tragic incidents in our clubs and we are trying to keep people safe in our own city,” Mayor George Fasching said at Tuesday night’s meeting.

There are five karaoke clubs in the city. On Oct. 4, a man was wounded at the Rhythm Karaoke Lounge in a gang-related incident, and on Oct. 20, 1991, another gang-related shooting occurred at another karaoke club, police said.

City Atty. Mike Miller said there have been several new applications for karaoke clubs in which patrons can sing to recorded music or videos, and the ban extension, effective next Friday, is necessary for the city to review its powers to control the establishments.