SHERMAN OAKS : Limits Placed on Insomnia Cafe Hours

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday voted 13 to 0 to place restrictions on the embattled Insomnia Cafe in Sherman Oaks, forcing the popular eatery to cut back its late-night hours, provide a security guard after dark and supply more parking for its patrons.

The council action caps an 18-month battle between cafe co-owner John Dunn and some of Insomnia’s neighbors, who charge that patrons of the coffeehouse are loud and unruly and have disrupted the neighborhood.

“We’re sorry that it had to come to this,” said Ann Douglas, who has led opposition to the cafe on behalf of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. “But we think the council decision is a fair one.”

Under the council ruling, which essentially affirms earlier restrictions handed down by city planning officials, Insomnia will close at 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

The cafe has operated until 4 a.m. on the weekends and until 3 a.m. during the week.

Dunn, who did not attend the council session, calling it “pointless,” said he will sue the city if the cafe is forced to close.

“This will devastate us,” Dunn said. “And we’re gonna sue for lost business if the restaurant gets closed down.”

About a dozen cafe neighbors attended the session in opposition to the cafe. Three spoke against it, saying that problems of noise, parking and vandalism have continued since the cafe opened in 1991.

City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky said Insomnia is the only coffeehouse in his district that has caused a problem.

“An atmosphere has been created that spills over into the community in the way of noise and in the way of disruption,” Yaroslavsky said. “All we’ve asked of Insomnia is to be a good neighbor.”

But Stanley Stone, an attorney representing Insomnia, said the cafe has been unfairly singled out.

“It’s just a coffeehouse--that’s all it is,” Stone said after the vote. “You can’t police every single young person that walks into your business.”

City officials said they would give Dunn until Dec. 1 to comply with the new restrictions before considering whether to initiate a procedure to close the cafe.