City officials want to close a restaurant-turned-strip club, claiming its owner misrepresented the adult business when he applied for a business license.
The owner of the Spicy Gentlemen’s Club, which opened recently, was served with a cease-and-desist order last Friday after city officials learned the club was operating in a non-commercial zone, the Pasadena Star News reported.
But attorney Roger Diamond, who represents the club, said the city zoning code is unconstitutional and that club owner Edwin Kwong is within his rights not to obey it. The city has reportedly offered the club other potential locations, but so far no deal has been reached.
Deborah Fox, an attorney for Santa Fe Springs, said Kwong never said his business would be a strip club when he told the city he was opening his establishment which he said was called Spicy's.
The issue began when Diamond told city officials that Kwong was opening an adult cabaret as part of Spicy’s, which had been a restaurant with a full kitchen and bar. It had been the home of Blondie’s Restaurant previously.
The conflict became heated when the city began to revise its adult business ordinance, which City Manager Fred Latham claimed was not due to the conflict with Spicy’s. He cited recent court decisions for the proposed revisions.
The revised ordinance deals with location, lighting, seating security and other issues impacting adult entertainment businesses.
Latham said he is concerned that the business is located in and “inappropriate zone” and that the issue is not about allowing such businesses in the city, but its location. The city already has the Holiday strip club along Norwalk Boulevard.
But Diamond asserted that free enterprise should determine whether the club should stay or go, nothing that the club has not received any complaints from residents, church groups or other community members.
