Sherman Oaks : Insomnia Cafe Owner Violated Probation

A Sherman Oaks coffeehouse owner was found guilty Thursday of violating his probation by failing to obey a city-ordered closing time of 1 a.m. on weekends, Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn said.

The coffeehouse, the Insomnia Cafe, has been under fire from neighbors who complain that the establishment’s patrons aren’t the only ones who can’t sleep. Residents say traffic, rowdy patrons and late-night noise have made their lives miserable.

Owner John Dunn, 36, of Sherman Oaks was sentenced in Van Nuys Municipal Court to 10 days on a city graffiti-removal work crew. The sentence was delayed until Sept. 7, pending a compliance progress report. He also was ordered to pay $500 in court costs and remove a pay telephone outside the premises at 13718 Ventura Blvd., Hahn said.

In February, Dunn was convicted of disobeying an earlier court order and was ordered to pay a $1,350 fine, Hahn said. Dunn also was ordered to pay $1,300 to the city’s Department of Building and Safety to help with other investigations, and placed on a year’s probation.

A city zoning administrator ruled that the establishment was a nuisance in April, 1993, a decision that was upheld by the Board of Zoning Appeals later that year.

The City Council voted that November to uphold the zoning board’s decision. The council ordered the coffeehouse to close at 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and at 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Hahn said that the coffeehouse owner has ignored the order.