City to Consider Nightclub Crackdown : Thousand Oaks: Determined to stamp out raucous goings-on, the council will target two popular hangouts in a discussion Tuesday.

Alarmed that some nightclubs have become public nuisances, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday will consider cracking down on late-night hot spots.

Whether by forcing all bars to close at midnight, or by requiring dance clubs to hire extra security guards, city leaders are determined to stamp out the raucous goings-on at several Thousand Oaks clubs.

“Everything we do must be in the context of what this community stands for,” Councilwoman Elois Zeanah said. “We are for family values and a family atmosphere. We just cannot have disturbances like these.”

The council’s discussion Tuesday will target two popular hangouts--the Red Onion on Hillcrest Avenue and the Yucatan Cantina (formerly Sergio’s Cantina) on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

Over the past two years, the Sheriff’s Department has responded to an average of two disturbance calls a month at each of the establishments. Police have also repeatedly cited both restaurants for selling alcohol to minors or intoxicated patrons, Cmdr. William Wade said.

A nightclub ordinance would help law enforcement efforts, Wade said. “We have to be able to control their noise and behavior if they are not controlling it themselves.”

Most cities in the county--including nearby Simi Valley and Moorpark--require all dance and entertainment clubs to obtain special-use permits. This procedure gives city planners considerable leverage, because they can tack conditions onto the permits mandating noise control and crowd control.

“We don’t have any problems, so it must be working,” said Jim Aguilera, director of community development for Moorpark.

In contrast, Thousand Oaks lumps nightclubs with restaurants and thus cannot regulate them independently, Planning Director Phil Gatch said. On Tuesday, the council will consider changing this policy, requiring dance clubs to apply for permits with strict conditions attached.

Pleading for more time, managers at the Red Onion and Yucatan Cantina said they want a chance to negotiate with city planners before the council imposes tough new rules that might put them out of business.

Shutting down earlier than 2 a.m. would cripple the Red Onion, said General Manager John Raymer, who estimates that 80% of his revenue comes in after the restaurant portion of his operation closes at 10 p.m. Canceling his Sunday and Monday specials for the 18-to-21 crowd would also pinch profits, Raymer said.

“If I had a big nightmare going here, I’d dump it, but I don’t see that,” Raymer said. “They’re just upset because kids are in the parking lot drinking beer. Big deal. I can handle that. If I have to, I’ll put in valet parking.”

The Red Onion chain filed for bankruptcy last November and is operating under the supervision of a trustee appointed by the federal court. Several of the chain’s 13 outlets, including one in Woodland Hills, have been plagued with crime and brawls.

As for the Yucatan Cantina, managing partner Robert Simonetti said he had recently canceled his “Over 18 Night” and redecorated the restaurant in an effort to reach out to an older, tamer crowd.

The dance floor still rocks with Top 40 music, stays packed until 2 a.m., and advertises Dollar-A-Drink night on Tuesdays. Yet Simonetti said he resented the council’s efforts to brand his restaurant a nightclub and strangle his business. At $12 an hour, even a lone security guard might be beyond his means, he said.

Councilman Frank Schillo said he is sympathetic to restaurateurs and he too prefers negotiating rather than cluttering the books with new ordinances. But, he warned, “if they don’t fix things voluntarily, we’ll step in.”

Even if the city takes action Tuesday, however, any new ordinance would apply only to future nightclubs. The Red Onion and Yucatan Cantina already hold restaurant permits to serve alcohol, and the city cannot attach conditions retroactively.

But if either establishment applies for a permit modification, as the Yucatan Cantina did recently, Thousand Oaks planners could require added security, reduced hours, better lighting or other restrictions.

Rather than waiting to impose such conditions, Zeanah suggested that the council immediately pass a law shutting down all bars at midnight and forbidding the popular teen-age nights, which draw the most rowdy crowds.

“It’s very important to do something now,” she said.

Schillo and Mayor Judy Lazar said they have little inclination for such drastic measures.