South El Monte : Club Licenses Denied

The city has denied a request for dance and entertainment licenses by a Long Beach couple who want to reopen the Montecarlo Ballroom nightclub. Pedro and Bertha Vargas bought the Merced Avenue club last year after it had been closed for several months. Although the club is in a predominantly commercial and industrial area, several nearby residents complained to the City Council about noise, fights and other disturbances that they said occurred there at night when the club operated.

The council last week voted 4 to 1 to reject the Vargas’ request, citing parking problems and the potential for nuisance as the reasons. Mayor John Gonzales dissented, saying that city staff may have misled the couple by indicating in early discussions that their application might be approved if they met parking requirements and other conditions.