Entertainment Commission briefed on proposed limited live-performance permit, promoter registration and venue security orders

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission on May 10 heard an executive director report that the Board of Supervisors received legislation introduced April 26 to create a new limited live-performance permit category and that the measure could be considered by the Board's City Operations and Neighborhood Services committee as soon as June 13. The director said the commission may schedule a fuller discussion of the proposal on May 24 before the supervisors' hearing.

The director introduced Nicholas King, who began last week as deputy director and will assist with permit presentations. On technology and business operations, staff reported a written proposal to accept credit-card payments online at no cost to the department, allowing emailed receipts and electronic confirmation of payments.

On promoter oversight, the director said a promoter-registration system created by recent legislation should be available online in coming weeks as a simple, free registration called “SFpromote.” He said the registration is not a permit but will let the department track promoters and use administrative citations and other corrective actions up to revocation.

The director also outlined several administrative enforcement actions. After a reported stabbing on March 4, staff issued an emergency public-safety suspension related to El Rincon; the venue was evicted from its 2700 Sixteenth Street premises on April 6 and the director said the permit no longer exists and may not transfer to a new location or applicant. The director described director's orders revising security plans at Mist Nightclub (316 Eleventh Street) after seven incidents between January and March and at Space 550 (550 Barnavel) after a March 25 incident where a weapon was fired from the stage and shell casings were found; staff, SFPD Bayview and venue management met March 29 and imposed additional security conditions.

Commissioners asked for and were offered the exact security conditions in writing so the commission can consider similar, venue-specific measures in future cases. The director said typical measures include raising security-staff ratios (from a general 1:100 toward 1:80 or 1:50 when warranted), requiring managers on site during entertainment, ensuring 21-and-over, guard-carded security with distinctive clothing, improving lighting or camera coverage, and, in some cases, earlier end times for entertainment to ease patron release and reduce street incidents. He noted appeals of director's orders are available to affected parties.

The commission did not take action on the legislation or director's orders at this meeting; several commissioners requested written copies of the proposed ordinance and the site-specific conditions for Mist and Space 550 to review before May 24.