Scottsdale, Az- Porn mogul Jenna Jameson has officially become part owner of Babe’s Cabaret, a south Scottsdale strip club police have monitored closely in recent weeks as city officials explore ways to shut it down. Jameson filed the paperwork for her long-anticipated purchase with the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control earlier this month.
The Paradise Valley resident entered into a partnership with several businessmen in the adult film industry and owns a 25 percent share of the club, state records show.
Each Babe’s owner controls an equal share of the club. Jameson’s partners include Steven Hirsh, founder and CEO of California-based Vivid Entertainment; Bill Asher, Vivid’s president; and Frank Koretsky, a New Jersey adult film producer and distributor.
Vivid is a major X-rated film studio that once featured Jameson and now collaborates with her Scottsdale-based film company, ClubJenna.
Following news reports detailing Jameson’s investment, neighborhood activists argued the club would hinder efforts to revitalize south Scottsdale. City leaders pledged to research measures to close Babe’s, which has operated for 30-plus years.
Babe’s and Skin Cabaret – both on Scottsdale Road – are licensed under the city’s Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance. The regulations restrict strippers from giving lap dances, receiving tips on their bodies and performing off stage.
However, following Tribune inquiries in August, Scottsdale confirmed that it had not enforced the ordinance in two years. Performers at both bars offer lap dances and violate other sections of the ordinance, the Tribune found.
In August 2003, ex-City Attorney David Pennartz instructed prosecutors and Scottsdale police to ignore violations at Skin and Babe’s as the U.S. Court of Appeals considered a strip club’s lawsuit against Maricopa County, city spokesman Pat Dodds said.
After an Aug. 19 Tribune article on the enforcement halt, Scottsdale police began using undercover officers to investigate the topless bars, department expense reports show.
On Nov. 1, the council is scheduled to consider whether to protest Babe’s application to switch its liquor license to the new owners.
The hearing was prompted by a new state law giving cities an opportunity to comment when a liquor license changes hands, said Connie Padian, a Scottsdale customer service officer.
It has nothing to do with the city ordinance, she said, and council members are more restricted in questioning this application than they would be if Babe’s were getting a license for the first time.
“The only thing that we can comment on is the person’s capability, reliability and qualifications,” Padian said.