Entertainment Commission conditionally grants Manny—s limited live-performances permit, approves Mission Street Sports Bar changes

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission on Oct. 16 conditionally granted a limited live-performance permit for a new Mission District venue and approved a consent-calendar permit for an existing Mission Street bar, the commission said.

Manny Akutiel, the applicant for the venue he described as "Manny's," told commissioners he is combining a restaurant, a political bookshop and a civic gathering space at 16th and Valencia. "We're about two weeks from being done," Akutiel said, adding he hoped to open on election night, Nov. 6. He said the weekday programing will focus on civic events and that weekend nights will feature arts and civic-adjacent programming.

Akutiel described outreach to neighborhood stakeholders before signing a lease, saying he met with Supervisor Ronen's office and community groups including Arriba Juntos, La Raza Centro Legal, Institute de la Raza Familia (as stated in the record), Freedom Archives and Galleria de La Raza and that several neighbors had provided letters of support. "I've spoken to folks at Arriba Juntos, La Raza, the Freedom Archives," he said. He also listed advisory-board members who assisted with outreach and said he had received a letter of support from a nearby massage school and expected one from Saint John Evangelist Church.

Commissioners asked how the space would handle noise complaints. Akutiel said the limited live-performance permit prohibits live entertainment after 10 p.m. and that he would instruct presenters and staff to respect the residential character of the building and neighborhood, keep lines of communication open with the building manager and address complaints promptly.

The commission moved and seconded a motion to approve the permit; Commissioners Tan, Lee, Falzon, Vice President Camino, Commissioner Thomas and Commissioner Perez recorded "aye" votes and the chair announced the permit was conditionally granted with follow-up directed to the executive director.

On the consent calendar the commission approved a permit modification for Mission Street Sports Bar at 2565 Mission Street to add a billiard-parlor permit and a mechanical-amusement-device permit. Executive Director Weiland told commissioners the police and planning departments had signed off on the change and proposed no conditions, which is why the item remained on consent.

The commission advised both permit holders to follow up with the executive director on next steps.

The commission's procedural actions also included approval of minutes from the Oct. 2 meeting.