San Francisco Blog

This legislation is absurd and cannot be uniformly enforced by the police, meaning it will be selectively enforced and used as a tool to harass clubs and promoters.

The loitering law is ridiculous on the face of it; the more pernicious law is the requirement for independent promoters to have permits. San Francisco's club culture is built on the backs of small promoters and club nights that are lucky to see any profit at all, now the city wants to impose additional fees upon them? Isn't it enough that clubs and bars are already required to have permits to sell alcohol, have DJs, and allow dancing? And why should the promoter be responsible for issues that the club security is supposed to address? And finally, how will this be enforced? Will clubs and bars require promoters to show their permits? Or will the police randomly select clubs and ask to see them? The only result of this legislation will be to return control over the City's nightlife to the police, which in turn will mean fewer independent promoters doing the kinds of small events that are the backbone of our city's cultural scene.