City officials have postponed action against a strip club’s owner for failing to observe a cease and desist order issued by the city.
City Council members said during a closed session recently that they needed more time to study the matter involving the Spicy Gentlemen's on Slauson Avenue, City Manager Fred Latham told the Whittier Daily News.
Last month Edwin Kwong was served with the order after Kwong opened a strip club after allegedly telling city officials that he was opening a restaurant.
The city claims Kwong misrepresented himself when he named his business for Spicy’s, in his permit application – instead of Spicy’s Gentlemen’s Club.
Officials contend Spicy’s has been operating as a strip club in a non-commercial zone, making its location illegal under the city’s zoning law.
But Kwong’s lawyer Roger Diamond has said the city’s zoning codes are unconstitutional and infringe on his client’s First Amendment rights. He added that Kwong has the right to provide live adult entertainment at his restaurant unless the city provides him with an alternate locations for his club.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe Springs has hired Deborah Fox, a lawyer who specializes in First Amendment and adult entertainment businesses law.
