CANOGA PARK : Bar’s Dance Floor Proposal Is Rejected

The Board of Zoning Appeals on Tuesday rejected a proposal by a Canoga Park restaurant to install a 200-foot dance floor, citing concerns over inadequate parking and crime in the area. The request for the added attraction at Don Diego’s Coco Loco, in the 7200 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, was opposed by the vice officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, who testified that women employed at Don Diego’s had illegally solicited drinks from customers.

The operators of the restaurant had appealed a decision against the dance floor proposal, made by Los Angeles Associate Zoning Administrator Daniel Green earlier this fall.

“Basically, the reasons for denying the appeal were that they didn’t have an adequate parking plan, and that there had been prior citations for narcotics sales and having B-girls on the site,” said Greg Merideth, secretary for the Board of Zoning Appeals. “This place is no Ritz-Carlton.”

The manager of Don Diego’s said there is no problem with crime at the restaurant, and suggested that the establishment has been unfairly singled out because it is operated and patronized by Latinos.

“This is a family restaurant,” said manager Juan Baregas. “But everybody sees this as a Latino place, so we get the blame. It’s called discrimination.”