Permit loss stings the Scorpion

A popular Huntington Beach night spot is in a fight for its life with the police department.

Owners of the Scorpion Steakhouse and Lounge are appealing a decision by Police Chief Ken Small to deny the restaurant its entertainment permit for the next year.

Small said the restaurant had generated too many complaints about noise.

“It’s been going on for quite some time,” Small said.

Restaurant manager Jonathan Bloomfield said ending dancing and live entertainment at his high-end night club would be catastrophic.

“In my opinion, it would kill our business,” Bloomfield said. “They’re trying to sign our death warrant.”

A steakhouse during dinner, Scorpion transforms into an nightclub at around 10 p.m., hawking high-priced martinis on a backdrop of caged scorpions glowing from fluorescent lights.

In a Dec. 5 report to the council, Small said police have had to respond to 40 calls since February, including 12 noise complaints and 10 assaults. The restaurant currently owes the city about $3,800 in fines because of the “management’s inability to operate the business without having an adverse impact on surrounding residents and the resources of the police department.”

Bloomfield said Small’s action was part of a concerted effort by the police department to shut down Scorpion. He said police often respond in massive numbers to small incidents: 10 units once responded to a call about a girl getting pushed over, while eight police cars once parked in front of the club to respond to a call about a stolen pinkie ring, he said. During the summer, police would stage weekly “inspections” of the club during peak midnight hours, often with as many as a dozen officers.

“That’s not true,” Small said. “Most of the time we have been out there, it’s in response to a call. If we show up with multiple officers, it’s usually because of a fight or a situation that requires multiple officers.”

Bloomfield said his company has been working to solve the problems, but Small said his department still regularly receives calls.

Scorpion’s appeal is scheduled to be heard by the City Council at its Jan. 3 meeting. The last time a restaurant appealed a permit denial by Small -- Moulin Rouge tried in August 2004 -- the City Council unanimously rejected the appeal.

Big Poseidon vote still on for Jan. 9 meeting

A final showdown on Poseidon could be set in stone now that Councilwoman Cathy Green has agreed to attend a Jan. 9 hearing.

Just two weeks ago, the council held a special meeting to determine the date of the hearing on the controversial desalination plant.

Green and Councilman Keith Bohr wanted the date pushed back to Dec. 19. Green said she had planned to spend January on the Gulf Coast performing aid work with the Red Cross. When the council voted 4 to 3 to keep the meeting on Jan. 9, Green said she might not be able to make the meeting and that it might have to be pushed back farther. The hearing on whether to grant the Connecticut-based company a conditional use permit to build a $250-million desalination facility has already been delayed four times.

On Monday, Green said she had decided to cancel her trip to the Gulf Coast and would definitely be in attendance at the Jan. 9 hearing. Without any other delays, the Jan. 9 date seems set in stone.

HSS to open store in Bella Terra mall

Surf City’s homegrown store Huntington Surf and Sport has announced plans to open a fourth store at the new Bella Terra Mall in north Huntington Beach.

Immortalized on dozens of hats and T-shirts simply as HSS, the local surfing company is a favorite hometown brand for hundreds of Orange County surfers. The new store will be HSS’ biggest yet, with more than 7,000 square feet of floor space. It will be accessible from the main plaza near Century Theaters, mall co-owner Lindsay Parton said.

The mall also recently secured a deal with the Cheesecake Factory to lease a 10,000-square-foot space adjacent to the movie theater.

“We competed against everyone in Orange County for that deal,” Parton said. “It’s a huge bonanza for us to get them here.”

HSS owner Aaron Pai said his company decided to open a store at Bella Terra to provide customers with easier access to his full-service surf shop.

“Just like Pipeline has a backdoor, we want to offer our customers a backdoor,” said Pai, referred to the famed surfing spot on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

HSS opened in 1978 as a small surf shop with “just one register and four employees,” Pai said. The company has continued to expand over the years with a shop at Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway and a new girls store at the corner of Walnut Avenue and Main Street.

Pai would not give too many details about the design of the new store, but said the shopping experience would capture his company’s love for the sport of surfing. The new retail shop could be open as early as March, Parton said.

Bartlett Park cleanup called a success

A team of student workers from the Orange County Conservation Corps conducted a two-day cleanup of Bartlett Park on Nov. 29 and 30. The cleanup was funded through a grant obtained from the state Department of Conservation’s recycling division.

The eight-person team removed an estimated three tons of trash and debris from the area. The effort also recovered approximately 15 pounds of glass, 60 pounds of aluminum and 30 pounds of plastic for recycling.

The Conservation Corps provides an opportunity for at-risk youth and young adults to learn work skills and develop a work ethic and a sense of community responsibility. The program encourages the participants to continue their formal educations and develop leadership skills, which in turn better equips them to enter the workforce.