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Entertainment commission meeting: minutes, consent permit and inspector reports; staff hiring update
Summary
The commission approved April 19 minutes and a consent permit for a billiard/pinball operator, heard staff and inspector reports on legislation and noise complaints, and was briefed on hiring a new outdoor-events staffer with interviews scheduled May 25.
The San Francisco Entertainment Commission approved the minutes of its April 19 meeting and a consent-calendar permit for a mechanical-amusement device and billiard parlor at 2937 Mission Street. Commissioners also received updates from the executive director and city inspectors about pending land-use legislation, staffing, and multiple noise and compliance complaints across the city.
On procedural business, a motion to approve the April 19 minutes carried after a roll call in which Commissioners Frost, Lee, Perez, Thomas and Joseph were recorded as voting aye. Staff presented a consent-calendar item for Matthew Norris to operate two pinball machines and one pool table at 2937 Mission Street; SFPD and planning staff recommended approval and commissioners subsequently approved the consent item by roll call.
Executive Director Jocelyn told commissioners that two related files (cited in the meeting as file numbers 160104 and 1600421) were split so that neighborhood-notice revisions could return to the land-use committee while other agreed cleanup items (including a waiver process for loudspeaker permits and an extension for conditional grants) move forward; Jocelyn said the waiver and extension pieces cleared second reading and are headed to the mayor's office. She also noted a Supervisor Farrell request for a controller's-office hearing on the economic impact of land-use regulations affecting entertainment, and said the controller will take time to analyze the issue.
Jocelyn said the long staffing process for an outdoor-events position is nearing completion: five candidates completed testing and interviews were scheduled for May 25, with an anticipated hire around mid-June to support the busy festival season.
Inspectors reported a number of venue inspections and ongoing complaints. Inspector Sean Burke summarized new complaints including Firehouse 8 on Pacific (possible café/private-event use), a new operator at 2543 Noriega starting karaoke, and continuing concerns about sound escaping from Chambers at the Phoenix Hotel; Burke said he will measure ambient and event sound levels and follow up. Inspector Pauley described inspections at Fort 1, venues around Fisherman's Wharf, Pine Crest Diner (extended-hours permit), Ireland 32 (a past minor incident), Fusion Lounge (management change), Beatbox (after-hours neighbor complaints), 800 Larkin Bar (one-night permit compliance) and Square Bar and Kitchen (ordered to remove in-wall speakers by a set date). Both inspectors said large street events such as the How Weird Street Fair generally cooperated with staff after being asked to reduce levels on particular stages.
Commissioners also raised procedural questions about redacted application materials: staff explained that personal information is redacted because it appears in multiple departmental hands but that documents can be requested through staff if needed. A commissioner requested an agenda item to discuss an alternate for the RDR at a future meeting. The commission adjourned at 6:17 p.m.
Items approved at the meeting include the April 19 minutes, the consent-calendar permit for 2937 Mission Street, and the place-of-entertainment permit for Bar Fluxus (447 Bush Street); follow-up tasks include verification of assembly permits and monitoring of soundproofing and security plans for new entertainment permits.
