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Saratoga shorts: Library alerts parents not to leave kids there Found: 1 Day 13 Hours 57 Minutes ago San Jose Mercury News - The Saratoga Library has sent out a news alert to parents and caregivers who have been leaving children at the library past closing hours....
Saratoga shorts: City officials request parent response to survey Found: 1 Day 13 Hours 57 Minutes ago San Jose Mercury News - In cooperation with the Saratoga Youth Commission and the After-School ad hoc committee, the city of Saratoga's Recreation and Facilities Department is working toward developing programs that appeal to children in middle school....
Saratoga sports shorts: Registration planned for AYSO Found: 1 Day 13 Hours 57 Minutes ago San Jose Mercury News - Saratoga AYSO Saratoga-Region 27 will hold registration for the spring season on Jan. 11, 10 a.m.-1 p....
Painstaking rebuilding of Saratoga's historic Sam Cloud barn in pays ... Found: 1 Day 16 Hours 11 Minutes ago San Jose Mercury News - Saratoga News Rehabilitating the Sam Cloud Barn on Third Street was a labor of love on the part of Saratogan Craig Awbrey and his business partner Bob Hausmann....
Campbell teacher helps local students share music from the heart Found: 1 Day 17 Hours 20 Minutes ago San Jose Mercury News - Kate Hendon believes in showcasing musical talents for the simple joy of helping others.Hendon, a private piano and singing instructor who teaches in Campbell, coordinates regular programs at nursing facilities rather than entering her students in contests aimed to rank their musical abilities....
Innovative turf makes debut at Los Gatos Creek dog park Found: 1 Day 17 Hours 29 Minutes ago San Jose Mercury News - They're baaack! "They" are dogs, large and small, that are once again frolicking at the Los Gatos Creek County Dog Park....
Richmond police pursue new lead in restaurant slayings Found: 1 Day 19 Hours 25 Minutes ago Contra Costa Times - A new dining spot occupies the space where Sahib Indian Restaurant once stood in the little strip mall on San Pablo Avenue in Richmond.But the new facade does little to erase memories for those who cared about Paramjit and Ravinder Kalsi, nor stanch the curiosity of those charged with investigating...
Panthers turn sights to Coast Found: 2 Days 4 Hours 6 Minutes ago The Salinas California - Coming off a nonleague schedule that showed it can play with some of the best, the Hartnell College mens basketball team will open its Coast Conference season against the best team from last year....
Roadshow: Gas prices jump again Found: 2 Days 8 Hours 23 Minutes ago San Jose Mercury News - An overnight increase of 10 cents is reported at some stations....
Putting the strip in strip mall Found: 2 Days 13 Hours 32 Minutes ago Morgan Hill Times - table width=212 cellpadding=6cellspacing=bgcolor=#EEEEEEalign=righttrtd class=copyalign=centerwidth=200a href=http://morganhilltimes.com/content/img/f252356/neon-sign1.jpgimg src=http://morganhilltimes.com/content/img/f252356/SZ200_neon-sign1.jpgwidth=200 height=138border=0/a/td/trtrtd class=copywidth=200/td/tr/tableGILROYbrAnte Bilic, a Saratoga-based adult club owner whose dancers have sued him for unfair labor practices and whose Sunnyvale club was searched by police in connection with a prostitution sting 13 years ago, wants to open a topless bar in Gilroy. Despite his legal headaches, though, Bilic has avoided charges and won the labor suits, and now he wants to turn El Amigo Restaurant into his latest venue, which has raised eyebrows in the community.brI dont think it will be well welcomed,said Roy Martinez, a supervisor and manager at Home Depot, which sits in the same parking lot as El Amigo, just north of the Gilroy Premium Outlets on San Ysidro Avenue. Our customers are already unhappy about all the day laborers hanging around, so there is already a difficulty in getting people to shop here. Bringing a strip club would only harm this.brConverting the place into a strip club requires permission from the chief of police and a special permit from the planning commission, which plans to consider the issue Jan. 15 if Bilic can get a signature by Tuesday from El Amigo Owner Huberto Acevedo saying he is willing to consider selling his building. But whenever planning commissioners review Bilics application - which has cost him $4,185 so far - they will only consider its legality, not the social or political repercussions of allowing a topless bar in a town that has traditionally shirked at the idea.brAt the planning commission level, were bound by the law, whereas the city council has the political ability to deny a project based on other issues,Planning Commissioner Ben Anderson said. Do I think that a strip clubs a good idea for Gilroy? I gotta say, Im not sure. Its tough.brTo receive a permit, Bilic must prove that he or his various partnerships - through which he runs Paul Harveys bar, Taragon Restaurant, Sportys Bikini Bar and the Kit Kat Club, all in Sunnyvale - have never had a permit revoked. Although four dancers at the Kit Kat eventually pleaded guilty to performing lewd sexual acts in public in 1995, authorities never charged Bilic with a crime, according to court records and his lawyer, Nanci Clarence, a partner at Clarence Dyer in San Francisco.brClarence also stressed that her client, who would not answer questions, has prevailed against unfair labor lawsuits in the past and has never had his permit revoked after the Kit Kat investigation. Now Bilic faces a class action lawsuit from two dancers who claim he violated wage and labor laws. Clarence said she does not expect these suits to derail Bilics Gilroy plans.brWeve been down this road before, and we prevailed,Clarence said Monday.brBut prevailing against red tape in a town where a lingerie and sexual novelty store is the closest thing to a strip club is another matter.brIn his 26-year career with the city, Planning Manager Bill Faus said he has not seen one strip club application come across his desk. Even Hooters, which relies as much on its signature wings as its curvy waitresses, withdrew its application to open a restaurant here in 2007. As for topless joints, the city council unanimously passed an ordinance in 1993 making it harder for such places to open in Gilroy.brThe ordinance cites deleterious secondary effectsand serious objectionable operational characteristicsof adult clubs and allows them only within commercial zones and with a special permit issued by the planning commission. Police Chief Denise Turner also has the final say-so when it comes to the permits details and whether the venue can sell alcohol.brIf the planning commission rejects Bilics application because it finds his legal troubles a concern or his application incomplete, then Bilic will have a chance to appeal to the City Council.brI certainly dont think that Gilroy is a place for such a thing, but like anything else we need to understand that this is a free country, and if we have rules and regulations in place and people adhere to them, then the process must go through,Mayor Al Pinheiro said.brCouncilman Perry Woodwards initial reaction rang with more alarm.brTheres an element (a strip club) would bring that is rather unsavory. From my life experiences, it seems to me that it would be a negative development,Woodward said. I need to keep an open mind, but I have a concern for public safety, and when large groups of men assemble late in the evening, thats going to tax an already over-taxed police department, so I have real concerns about that.brEl Amigo and the land it sits on is worth about $1.1 million, according to county records. The spot sits tucked away behind the outlets, and Acevedo, the owner, has told the Dispatch that business has struggled in the last year with the economy and the opening of a series of chain restaurants in the new Pacheco Pass shopping centers. Hooters was suppose to join that group.brPlanning Commissioner Art Barron brought up the dormant Hooters proposal as evidence that people in Gilroy tend to be sensitive about racier forms of entertainment.brA lot of people have been talking about Hooters, but this to me is a lot different and can lead to other bad, criminal things,Barron said. But on the other hand, you have to give (Bilic) his fair time and let the process go through....
