Closed-Bar Owner, City Clash Over New Permit
Sid Soffer, the Newport Beach gadfly and saloon owner turned fugitive, is in yet another tangle with city officials.
Soffer is seeking to reopen the Blue Beet, his landmark bar at the Newport Pier. But city officials say his operating permit for the bar, closed since 1994, has lapsed.
To renew the permit, Soffer said he would be required to bring the 1912 building up to current building codes, a costly proposition.
Soffer is challenging that requirement, contending city officials are mistaken in their interpretation of the code. At least one person, Councilman John Hedges, agrees.
“We may not like it, but I think he’s right on this,” said Hedges, saying exceptions are sometimes granted if a business is shut while the owner searches for new tenants or a buyer.
Soffer said he has been trying to sell the place, but that prospective buyers have been scared off by city requirements.
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