Raining on your parade

Parades ain't what they used to be.

Reports of several floats being kicked out of Friday's Battle of Flowers parade have been confirmed by KSAT 12.

SAPD booted the floats at the request of parade organizers-- including that of El Rey Feo's -- for throwing beads, medals and other souvenir items from the float to the people lining the Broadway parade route.

SAPD said parade organizers gave repeated warnings for those on the floats against throwing items off the floats.

(from KSAT-12)

When I was a kid, I remember almost every float in a parade threw candy to the kids. Of course, that was in a small town, and maybe they do/did things differently in a smaller scale parade than in a big city parade. In any case, it makes for an interesting notion to consider the possiblity of El Rey Feo being led away in handcuffs by the police.

Arguing semantics at city hall

Do you know -- very clearly know -- the difference between a nightclub, a live entertainment venue, and a sexually-oriented business? Can you articulate that difference?

That's what's at stake in this dispute between the City of San Antonio and Headliner's Show Club.

Headliner's Show Club, located off Northeast Loop 410, opened in October of last year.

Owners said Headliner's does have dancers every night of the week and is being told it can't operate like that anymore unless it applies for a zoning change.

Owners initially were approved as a nightclub, but officials with planning development services said the business did not state that live entertainment would be included.

"When you apply to be a night club, live entertainment is included," Headliner's attorney James Deegear said.

"We believe the club is operating outside the scope of certificate of occupancy and operating as a live entertainment establishment," said San Antonio Planning Development Services' Rudy Nino.

Deegear said the owners are complying with the city ordinance.

"It's included within a definition of a night club specifically by the city," he said. "I'm not sure why we are here today."

Deegear said that the dancers are wearing the proper amount of covering, so it should not be considered a sexually-oriented business.

"It resembles sexually-oriented business, but the city doesn't (define) what a sexually-oriented business is," he said.

(from KSAT-12)

What do you think? Do you agree with the club's attorney that a nightclub, by its very nature, encompasses live entertainment? And, if you have a live entertainment certificate of occupancy from the city, does it seem to be entirely clear what that "live entertainment" is supposed to include or exclude? Live music? Dancers? Strippers? All of the above? Do you think the club is pushing the limit of the regulations? Or do you think the city is being too heavy-handed?

And (you know you're thinking it, too!) what do you think former City Councilwoman Diane Cibrian would do about it?

"Scantily clad dancers raise eyebrows, complaints on River Walk"

Quick, someone call Diane Cibrian! There is sexiness that must be stamped out!

SAN ANTONIO -- There's a new club on the River Walk but some say the dancers there are more like strippers.

News 4 WOAI got a hold of cell-phone video showing what the dancers are wearing and we asked the club about it.

The club we're talking about is Acapulco Sam’s. [Great plug! --ed.] It’s above Joe's Crab Shack on the River Walk.

The person who gave us the cell-phone video says the girls are dancing on a balcony over there and anyone walking by can see what's going on. That includes children who might be outside with their parents.

The video’s a little shaky, but a restaurant worker nearby says the girls are wearing G-strings and very little else to cover themselves up.

The club’s management told News 4 WOAI on the phone Monday, it won't continue dancing like this [The publicity has done been got. --ed.] but stressed it is not doing anything illegal and the girls are wearing mini skirts and shorts.

(from WOAI-TV)

Call the media! Call the politicians! We must keep scantily-clad women away from the children! Think of the children and call ---- Oh, wait, Cibrian isn't councilwoman of the downtown district, is she?

Oh, wait, she's not even on City Council anymore.

Never mind.

Fighting bikinis

Before she leaves office, mayoral candidate and current District 8 Councilwoman Diane Cibrian wants to save us from scantily-clad women just one more time.

SAN ANTONIO -- A group of church and school parents have raised concerns over the scheduled opening of a sports bar with waitresses donning bikinis.

Parents of the San Antonio Preparatory Academy, located at 8308 Fredericksburg Road, are concerned over the creation of a new Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill a stone's throw away at 8224 Fredericksburg Road.

"These are children," said SA Prep Academy Principal Rose Evola. "They've got curious minds and they are curious."

The worry is that students may be curious about what's replacing the former Applebee's restaurant, and some parents said they're concerned about what kind of clientele the business may attract since its waitresses wear unorthodox uniforms.

"You have clientele that might ... [What? --ed.] look, there's children, I don't want that," said parent Kathy Jones. "Scary? Absolutely." [Bikinis are scary? Don't go near the beach; there are bikinis everywhere down there. --ed.]

Located less than a half-mile away at 8527 Wurzbach Road is a Hooters restaurant. District 8 City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Diane Cibrian said she's already looking into the Bikinis situation.

"We want to make sure that our neighborhood is safe and we're providing the adequate security that's needed," she said.

(from KSAT-12)

Hm. The presence of Hooters -- which has been there for a long time -- does complicate things. What's a councilwoman to do?

Mayoral candidates for 2009 III

When the mayor's race is on in San Antonio, often a handful of colorful characters will inject themselves into the news covering the more serious candidates. This is more the case when there is no incumbent for the office, as with this year's race.

Phil Hardberger is term-limited, so he's not running again, though he is a popular mayor. The favorite for the 2009 race is Julian Castro, a former city councilman and one of Hardberger's opponents a few years ago. Serious contenders are Trish DeBerry-Mejia (a public relations person who will probably give Castro the most competition for votes), Diane Cibrian (a current councilwoman who you might remember from her days of fighting Boobie Rock), and Sheila McNeil (another city councilwoman).

And then there are the usual cluster of contenders that no one pretends will ever have a chance at being mayor, yet they still run for the office, some time and time again, and they provide a lot of entertainment. One of those other candidates is Napoleon Madrid. With a name like that, what's not to like?

A lot, if you dislike plagiarism.

The Express-News found some supsicous stuff on Madrid's Web site:

Napoleon Madrid said he jumped into the mayor's race because he didn't think they were talking about the right issues. But it turns out his distaste for their ideas wasn't so strong.

Madrid's “Issues and Concerns” page on his Web site was nearly identical to the platform on Trish DeBerry-Mejia's campaign site, including the order in which each issue was presented. The text was copied word for word in its entirety.

Madrid pulled the page down from his site Friday, shortly after a San Antonio Express-News reporter asked him how the two pages could be identical.

“No way,” he responded initially. “All I can tell you is the interns that were working on mine, I know that they went to everybody else's to check it out. I can't tell you on that, sir, to be honest with you.

“I would have never done that,” he said. “I don't plagiarize nothing.”

Madrid, who has said he believes theft is wrong, denied that he'd stolen from DeBerry-Mejia and placed the blame on an intern: “He was a student from, um, St. Philip's (College).”

"Yeah, and my wife is, uh, Morgan Fairchild. Yeah, that's the ticket."

(For more analysis of all the candidates, check out the Express-News's coverage.)

Fork

What do you think, art or sign?



The Stone Oak Property Owners Association doesn't like it, no matter what it is.

A sculpture of an oversized fork recently installed outside two new Stone Oak restaurants has drawn the ire of the local property owners association.

The Vatel Restaurant Group didn't have permission to install the giant aluminum fork on its property at 20626 Stone Oak Parkway, and now must either remove it or relocate it to a spot not easily seen from the road, said the Stone Oak Property Owners Association.

The flap over the big fork: Its owner has deemed it a work of art; the POA has deemed it advertising, a sign that screams “Eat here.”

“It's a lovely piece of work, but it's a sign,” said Sandy Whitley, chairwoman of the Stone Oak Architectural Review Committee. “If you allow something like that, there's nothing to prohibit a Shoney's Big Boy. That's the problem.”

Were the sculpture of anything else, there likely wouldn't be a problem with it, Whitley said. [emphases added]

(from Jennifer Hiller of the Express-News)

I think the property owners association is being a bit of a stick in the mud here. That fork is obviously a piece of art, even if it is advertising a restaurant. And what kind of argument is it to say if the sculpture were "of anything else, there likely wouldn't be a problem"?

Really? Anything? What about a nude woman (as long as it isn't in Diane Cibrian's district)? Or a zombie eating brains? Or a giant garden gnome? Or anything by Picasso? Are all these really preferable to a tasteful, if odd, work of art that might also be construed as drawing attention to the business it is installed in front of?

I think not. The fork is fine, and it should be left where it is. It will give the place some character, and it may even draw people out there (to spend money, perhaps, at area restaurants and shops) who might not otherwise brave the traffic of North Loop 1604.

Stone Oak should be glad for the fork.

Telling you what's good for you

Diane Cibrian, the District 8 city councilwoman who wishes to be San Antonio's mayor, has been emboldened by her efforts to keep a strip club out of a neighborhood (it was really the access road of a highway) in her district. Now she wants to prevent any strip club from ever opening in San Antonio, according to KSAT-12.

Welcome to prigville. (Emphases added.)

District 8 City Councilwoman Diane Cibrian is once again trying to keep the man who previously attempted to open Boobie Rock from trying again in another part of his district, and also throughout the city.

"The city of San Antonio has faced a very serious situation with strip bars that have attempted to move into neighborhoods," she said. "We know that when live entertainment is coupled with a cover charge, many times this is for the usage by strip bars."

That'll come as a surprise to all the live-music venues out there.

Cibrian said her proposal would prevent strip clubs from opening across the city. Should her proposal pass, all existing businesses would be grandfathered [for now --ed.]. The attorney representing the man who attempted to open the club the first time would neither confirm nor deny his client was trying to open a new club.

If I remember correctly, some news article somewhere once said that Cibrian was pro-business. Well, at least business she approves of, I guess.

"City to hold workshop on restaurant rules"

Opening a restaurant in San Antonio? The City wants you to do it right.

The City’s Economic Development Department Small Business Division will hold a workshop for prospective restaurant owners 9-10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Frost Bank Tower, 100 W. Houston St., Suite 1900. ...

Representatives of the Metropolitan Health District will discuss basic health regulations, commercial kitchen requirements, food licenses and permits, and food handler certification.

(from MYSA.com)

So, is this evidence of Councilwoman Diane Cibrian getting her way, or is it a program that has always been in place? I'm willing to believe it's the latter, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it is the former.

The mayoral race

This should be fun to watch. Two local high-profile women who want to influence how this town grows are now butting heads, as KSAT-12 reports:

SAN ANTONIO -- A campaign is underway to recall a first-term city councilwoman with mayoral aspirations.

A Web site to recall District 8 City Councilwoman Diane Cibrian has been started by the woman behind [sic] Terri Hall, the woman behind the Texas Toll Party, a group dedicated to stopping the inclusion of toll roads in current or future San Antonio and Bexar County construction.

Hall has registered the domain, RecallDiane.com and created a Web site claiming Cibrian opposed toll roads before switching her position and made accusations the councilwoman accepted a free trip to Cancun from a developer to which Cibrian had previous ties. Cibrian has claimed in the past the trip was not unethical, but did amend a financial disclosure statement filed with the City Clerk's admitting her trip.

...

Cibrian said Hall is "an out-of-towner" trying to influence local politics. Hall lives in Spring Branch, Texas, which is not within Cibrian's district. Hall said the movement to recall Cibrian is coming from Texas Toll Party members who live within District 8.

Remember, Cibrian wants to keep strip joints out of her district, and Hall wants no tolls, no how, nowhere.

"Councilwoman Receives Complaints About New Business"

The City Council prigs are still fighting those dangerous businesses that dare to be sexy.

From KSAT-12:

Mary Alice Cisneros, councilwoman for District 1, said her office has received complaints about scantily-clad waitresses and sexually suggestive behavior at a near-downtown cafe called Las Nenas within her district. The complaints have prompted Cisneros to investigate the city's ban on sexually oriented businesses and to check on the cafe's certificate of occupancy and other licensing, she said.

The cafe is located near the intersection of Fredericksburg Road and Cincinnati Avenue.

"We are looking into just exactly what sexual orientated businesses are allowed to do and not supposed to be doing," she said.

The concern, Cisneros said, goes beyond her district, citing recent complaints about the Bikini Car Wash in Councilwoman Jennifer Ramos' District 3 and the now-closed Mariposas Cafe in in Councilwoman Lourdes Galvan's District 5.

"It's sprouting all over, whether it's in other district or in mine in particular, and so we will muster the support and do the investigations and move forward," she said.

Lord.

Really, don't they have anything better to do than to save us from sexiness? How long until waitresses have to start wearing burqas in San Antonio?

Mayoral candidates for 2009 II

Diane Cibrian wants to be mayor, perhaps because she has been "humbled and proud to be a part of city government." The mayor's seat is a prominent position. She should get used to uncomfortable questions from the media, such as those posed by Jaime Castillo at the Express-News:

In a little more than a year in office, City Councilwoman Diane Cibrian has earned a reputation as an aggressive and energetic advocate who seeks, not shrinks from, the media spotlight.

Since last Friday, however, the District 8 representative and mayoral hopeful has uncharacteristically refused to answer one direct question:

Shortly after being elected in a 2007 runoff, did she take a trip to Cancún, Mexico, and stay for free in the condominium of local real estate investor Hugo Gutierrez Jr.?

“You've crossed the line into my personal life,” she said in the only on-the-record portion of a more than hour-long meeting Friday. “I'm not answering that question. I'm done with this issue.”

A briefer telephone interview Monday was more of the same. “It is what it is. You're going to write whatever you want. I'm done with this issue.”

Whether or not a city councilwoman stayed in Gutierrez's condo in one of Mexico's hottest tourist destinations is, of course, a smell-test issue, especially if you consider that Gutierrez, at the time of the supposed trip, was fighting to keep the city from applying its tree ordinance to a property he owned in northwest Bexar County.

During the legal battle, which Gutierrez won, Councilwoman Cibrian on at least one occasion discussed the development, called West Pointe, with the city attorney's office.

She also appeared on the Trey Ware show on KTSA this morning to talk about this issue, and she did not sound very mayoral.

"Boobie Rock, Landowner In Legal Fight"

Here's the latest on the Boobie Rock soap opera, from KSAT-12:

SAN ANTONIO -- The potential owners of a strip club forced to alter its proposed location because of deed restrictions are fighting with the landowners to recoup some of their losses.

An ownership group originally planned to open Boobie Rock near the intersection of Huebner Road along the access road of Interstate 10, but their plans were rebuffed when deed restrictions on the property prevented the operation of a gentlemen's club -- a fact the ownership group said was not relayed to them by the landowners as they drew up the agreement.

The owners of the strip club said they have spent more than $200,000 to get their business running and are countersuing the landowner, who filed suit seeking rent payments.

What this story fails to mention is that this whole thing was brought on by the priggish theatrics of Diane Cibrian, councilwoman for San Antonio's District 8. She deserves the credit and the blame for this legal fight.

If you are thinking of opening any new business in this town that is even remotely sexy, watch out for City Council. They'll take you down.

"Business As Usual For Popular Downtown Restaurant Following Fire"

This is a bit odd.

From WOAI-TV:

The owner of a popular Downtown Mexican Restaurant [sic] doesn't plan to let his customers miss a meal, despite an early morning fire.

The flames at the Piedras Negras de Noche restaurant lit up the sky around 2:30 a.m. Friday. The restaurant, which is located on Laredo street, has been around for nearly 30 years.

...

"We had to force entry into the building. Uh, the fire had advanced up to the second and third floor. Uh, it was pretty deep seeded by the time firefighters arrived on the scene," said District Fire Chief Neil Ague.

The fire was caused by an electrical short and is being ruled accidental.

Despite the fire, it was business as usual for the front restaurant, which serves breakfast.

How can a restaurant open for business after a major fire with damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars? Would the health department really think this was a good idea?

On the other hand, I think the waitresses were fully clothed, so they don't have to worry about the city shutting them down.

Mayoral candidates for 2009

Remember Diane Cibrian, the rookie councilwoman whose claim to fame so far is shooting down a planned strip club?

Now, as KSAT-12 reports, she wants to be our mayor.

Diane Cibrian, councilwoman for District 8, said Wednesday she was exploring a candidacy for mayor, which will be an open seat in the 2009 city election.

"I really believe that we need to continue the economic prosperity of the city of San Antonio, and I have been humbled and proud to be a part of city government, led by our mayor Phil Hardberger, who has worked hard, and we have moved this city forward," she said.

That's just what we need, her style of "economic prosperity."

More people angry at a strip club

This time the business is in Lytle.

Lytle?

KSAT-12 says "yes":

LYTLE, Texas -- About 20 miles southwest of San Antonio, residents of this small town are coming together to protest a new business opened to capitalize on the purient interests of Atascosa County.

The Cabaret Dance Club has opened just outside the city limits, which has prompted some in the commuity to protest the establishment, even if it falls outside the legal reach of the city limits.

Lytle currently has an ordinance against sexually oriented businesses, but the new club is located outside the city boundary, leaving protestors upset about the services and people associated with the business, but with little legal recourse.

Hmm, I wonder if any San Antonio City Council members are from Lytle, where -- at just under 2,400 residents -- everybody probably knows your name. Even the strippers.

UPDATE: Dave at Silver Creek 78250 -- ever handy with the camera -- has taken a picture of The Cabaret Dance Club, and you can see it at this post on his adventure southwest of San Antonio. You will not believe how incredibly small and unassuming this place is. It's little! Man, you get a few customers in there with just a couple of dancers and you run the risk of going over the fire marshal's occupancy limit! The best way for the protesters to shut this place down is to just all show up at the same time and demand a drink!

"Residents Upset At La Mariposa Customers"

It's been called the Mexican Hooters. It's a restaurant where the waitresses serve up a little dance with the food. And it's a good thing it's not in Diane Cibrian's council district.

From KSAT-12:

SAN ANTONIO -- Following a KSAT 12 News report about a new west side restaurant, some people are up in arms over what they said is more than just food.

La Mariposa, located at the intersection of Guadalupe and Trinity streets, is fast becoming known as a well-liked place to eat – namely for its provocatively dancing waitresses.

...

District 5 City Councilwoman Lourdes Galvan said she has received numerous complaints about the restaurant, but she said there was not much she can do if there’s nothing illegal happening in the restaurant.

"Unless we can find probable cause that is causing something illegal in there other than that, I don't believe we can do anything about it," she said.

La Mariposa means "the butterfly." I guess it's a good thing they didn't name the restaurant after some obscure island in the Caribbean.

Boobie Rock shot down

Well, it looks like the Boobie Rock case won't go to trial after all, as KSAT-12 reports:

SAN ANTONIO -- A Bexar County judge ruled late Friday afternoon that will prevent a controversial strip club from opening on the city’s north side.

The judge upheld a covenant preventing adult-oriented businesses – such as Boobie Rock – from opening at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Huebner Road.

District 8 City Councilwoman Diane Cibrian announced the judge’s decision to enforce deed restrictions placed on the property in 1995 and 1996.

The Boobie Rock lawyers may appeal.

By the way, the real Booby Rock is an island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Here it is, according to Google Maps.

"Fate Of Boobie Rock Going To Jury Trial"

Next chapter in the Boobie Rock story: the case goes to trial February 11. Stay tuned.

(KSAT-12 angle here.)

"Fate Of "Boobie Rock" Strip Club On Hold"

A Boobie Rock update from WOAI:

The fate of a San Antonio strip club is on hold -- again.

'Boobie Rock' was supposed to open near I-10 and Huebner last year. But a covenant between that land owner and the building next door to the club stopped that opening and the dispute ended up in court.

So, what's next for the defense and the plaintiff in this now infamous strip club saga?

Both sides had very strong arguments Thursday and could not come to an agreement. Now, the judge in the case will have to consider all of the information and try to come to a decision.

...

With Monday being Martin Luther King Day, the judge said he will not reconvene until Tuesday. We'll then find out if Boobie Rock will be built, will close before it opens, or whether the dispute will go on to a trial by jury.

Stay tuned.

"Councilwoman wants change in definition of restaurants"

Councilwoman Diane Cibrian just can't leave well enough alone. Not only is she making things difficult for a new strip club -- which is a perfectly legal enterprise, by the way -- she wants to make it difficult for anyone to open a restaurant in the future.

From KENS-5:

Councilwoman Diane Cibrian is proposing changes to the [Unified Development Code]. She wants to make sure adult[] clubs, like the Boobie Rock, aren’t serving more than just food.

“Just because you provide food, doesn’t mean you’re a restaurant,” Cibrian said.

...

Cibrian wants to define how the city classifies restaurants. It’s a definition that currently doesn’t exist.

“So if it’s a not a restaurant, it’ll move to a night club. When they apply for night club zoning, they’re going to have to get a special use permit, so that at least we have notification,” she said.

Granted, I don't know a whole lot about the zoning process, but I predict that, if Cibrian is successful, such a change will affect more than just new strip clubs. It will also affect any entrepreneur that attempts to open any establishment that serves food. Cibrian certainly doesn't appear to be pro-business in this case, something the voters in District 8 might want to keep in mind come next election.