SANTA ANA HEIGHTS : Topless Dancers Raise Civic Eyebrows

When a comedy club in unincorporated Santa Ana Heights debuted female topless dancers this week, it raised the eyebrows of county officials and nearby residents.

After 16 years of comedy that featured such then-unknown comics as David Letterman and Robin Williams, the Laff Stop switched to more profitable topless dancing. A brightly lighted marquee facing Bristol Street advertises the “Newport Fantasy,” with shows starting at 11 a.m. and ending most nights at 2 a.m.

But Bill Grant, section chief of the county’s land use division, said records reveal that the club’s owners never applied for the proper permits. Grant said he may stop the nude entertainment today.

“We started getting calls from residents who were concerned that a topless entertainment business was being conducted” in their neighborhood, Grant said. “They (Laff Stop owners) don’t have any permits, they just automatically switched” to topless shows.

Laff Stop owner Jorn Rossi said that his club had suffered “devastating” business in the past 18 months and the crossover to strippers was the only way to save it.

Grant said that until he talks with the club’s attorney, Paul Mast, the Laff Stop can continue the shows but he “will probably ask them to cease such business until they can get the proper permits.”

Rossi said that Mast advised him it would be all right to stage topless females because the club had presented exotic male dancing since 1981.

“It seems like a minor distinction,” Rossi said.

But the county does not agree.

“Male and female (nude) dancing are two different categories, according to the law,” Grant said.

Rossi has referred all legal questions to Mast, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

City officials in Newport Beach said they became concerned about a month ago when authorities spotted advertisements in local publications recruiting topless dancers and bouncers. The advertisements did not mention the Laff Stop, only gave a phone number.

City officials said they had assumed the club had gotten permits from the county for the adult entertainment when topless dancing debuted Monday night.

The dancers appear on stage wearing a swimsuit or dressed like a nurse or a cheerleader to perform on a stage ringed by tables. They are only allowed to strip off their tops, Rossi said.

“Even though this is not in our city, it is real close,” said Ken Delino, Newport Beach’s deputy city manager, said of the Laff Stop. “I don’t think this is the type of use the city is interested in having. . . . If it were in the city, it would not conform to our standards.” The club is located in an area that Newport Beach wishes to annex.