Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Enforcement Raid topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
S.F. police, ABC served narcotics warrants at Playland Bar and Gestalt House; Gestalt flagged for lack of permits
Summary
Lieutenant Ed Santos told the Entertainment Commission that ABC and SFPD executed search warrants June 19 at Playland Bar (1351 Polk) and the Gestalt House (3159 Sixteenth) as part of a narcotics probe involving undercover purchases; Santos said Gestalt House appeared to operate without required entertainment and mechanical amusement device permits under Municipal Code 10 60.1.
Lieutenant Ed Santos of the San Francisco Police Department—s Alcohol Licensing Unit told the Entertainment Commission on July 15 that the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and SFPD served search warrants on June 19 at Playland Bar, 1351 Polk Street, and the Gestalt House, 3159 Sixteenth Street, as part of an ABC narcotics investigation.
Santos said undercover purchases of cocaine were made from an employee of the Playland Bar and that criminal and administrative actions are pending against employees at the premises. "There were undercover purchases of cocaine made from an employee of the Playland Bar," Santos said, summarizing the enforcement action. He also said photographs were taken of equipment at the Gestalt House, which appeared to have a functional DJ booth and four pinball machines but did not display entertainment or mechanical amusement device permits.
Santos told commissioners that the Gestalt House appeared to be operating in violation of Municipal Code 10 60.1 because it did not have a place of entertainment permit nor a mechanical amusement device permit. "It appears that the Gestalt House is operating in violation of 10 60.1," he said, and asked the commission—s investigators to look into the venue—s activities. Santos cautioned that a criminal investigation and an administrative inquiry are ongoing and that he would provide what information he could to the commission.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about whether a live band had been present at the time warrants were executed; Santos said he was not present for execution of the warrants and that, to his knowledge, there was no DJ operating at that moment. The commission closed public comment on the report and moved on to its permit docket.
Next steps: Santos asked the commission to have its investigators review the Gestalt House's operations. The criminal and administrative processes cited by Santos remain pending and were described to commissioners as ongoing matters being handled by ABC and SFPD.
