Anaheim Scratches Pool Hall Proposal

The city said yes Tuesday to the continued operation of an exotic dance club but closed the door on a planned pool hall.

After the votes, council members said that both clubs presented some threat to the safety and welfare of the city but that the case against the Barbary Coast Cabaret is not compelling enough to close the business.

In a unanimous vote on a separate issue, the council said a history of criminal activity at John H. Johnson’s four county pool halls persuaded them to reject his request to open a fifth in Anaheim.

A livid Johnson said: “If these guys were around back in the old days, the Declaration of Independence would never have been signed because, you know, it was signed in a tavern.”

Mayor Fred Hunter said the council’s decision to reject the pool hall planned for 3478 E. Orangethorpe Ave., in the Lake Center shopping area, was based on police reports showing that Johnson’s bar and billiard halls in Stanton, Fullerton, Garden Grove and Westminster had averaged an excessive number of police calls.

In the case of the Barbary Coast Cabaret, in business since 1961 at 2230 W. Colchester Drive, employees and customers crowded the council chamber for a debate that lasted more than two hours. Photos of the club, including pictures of the bikini-clad dancers, were tacked to the west wall of the council chamber.

Residents near the club said it generates excessive noise and reduces property values.

“There have been police helicopters flying over homes numerous times,” said neighborhood resident Patricia Daniel, who is retired. “I don’t see where the entertainment of 10 to 15 people has anything to do with the safety and protection of our city.”

But in a 3-1 vote, council members said police reports of incidents in the area are not compelling enough to close the business. The council did, however, require uniformed security guards at the club, order it to reduce the noise and voted to review the club’s operation in six months.