Santa Fe Springs, California- WHAT a coincidence.
Just as the city of Santa Fe Springs was getting close to adopting a new ordinance regulating adult businesses locally, a new adult place, the Spicy Gentlemen’s Club, complete with a well-known lawyer to defend it, opened and is doing business on commercial/industrial Slauson Avenue.
Are we really surprised? No, not really.
Pico Rivera also got blind-sided in a similar manner when a strip club, Imperial Showgirls, opened in a strip mall near residences, churches and schools in 2002.
And the same attorney, Roger Diamond, was Johnny On The Spot to see one more adult business safely through community objections into the daylight of constitutionally-protected female nudity.
Santa Fe Springs officials have told us that the Spicy Gentlemen’s Club, formerly a restaurant know as Blondie’s, recently was bought by new owners.
City officials had been promulgating a new adult business ordinance, and they were getting very close to taking it before the City Council for adoption.
Then, early this month, the new owners of the former Blondie’s filed for a business license to operate a restaurant.
The application said the business would be named Spicy’s. That seems a bit misleading to us, since we were told the full name of Spicy Gentlemen’s Club was not mentioned nor was there any mention that it would provide nude entertainment.
So, the new owner of the former Blondie’s, Edwin Kwong, got his restaurant permit, never indicating it would operate as a cabaret.
Last Friday, the city issued a cease and desist letter to stop all cabaret operations at Spicy’s.
Enter Diamond, saying his client has a constitutional right to maintain the gentlemen’s club there.
About all we can say about it is this: the Edwin Kwongs and Roger Diamonds of the world have found systems for introducing adult, exploitative businesses into our communities.
Unfortunately, they use a broad liberal view of the same First Amendment that provides us all with our treasured freedom of expression to allow them to cheapen society in general and women in particular.
They take the view that what they sell is well within the contemporary standards of our communities and, therefore, deserves places alongside other businesses.
We believe, like most cities and counties do, that if we must have adult businesses, they should be provided with space in heavily industrial areas well removed from residential neighborhoods, schools, churches and even regular commercial shopping areas.
Furthermore, we also believe that, if they use obviously misleading tactics in their applications for business licenses, their applications should be disqualified.
Back story August 18:SANTA FE SPRINGS, Calif. — Police are looking for the gunman who shot and wounded a bouncer at a strip club in Santa Fe Springs early Friday.
Whittier police, who patrol the area, said the gunman asked for the bouncer by name at about 3 a.m. before entering the club and shooting the man three times in the chest.
The Spicy Gentlemen’s Club, at 12215 Slauson Ave., was closing at the time of the attack.
The gunman wore a bandana over his face, police said, and carried what was believed to be a 9mm handgun. He ran away on foot after the shooting. He was described as Latino, 5 feet 9, weighing about 170 pounds and wearing a gray, hooded sweatshipt.
The victim’s condition was not known, but police said he was conscious and breathing when he was taken to a hospital.
The gunman fled on foot along Slauson Avenue, police said.