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Mark Leno.
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Board Okays Under Age into After Hours
By May Chow
AsianWeek Staff Writer
By a vote of 7 to 3, the Board of Supervisors on Monday passed an ordinance amending a San Francisco Police Code to allow those over the age of 18 into after-hours club venues.
Supervisor Mark Leno said by lowering the age to 18, unsafe illegal dance venues in overcapacity warehouses would be curbed.
“This law only affects those businesses with a Type 47 permit, which allows the sale of food in after-hours venues but not alcohol,” Leno said.
Leno added that by the age of 18, U.S. citizens are able to vote and go to war, but aren’t allowed to go to after-hours clubs.
But Supervisor Tony Hall, who prefaced his argument against Leno’s ordinance by stating he was a parent with teenaged children, said he was hesitant to vote on this measure. He said illegal venues were still going to exist even if the ordinance were to pass.
Also on Monday, the Board passed an ordinance that would allow the city to identify and develop surplus and unused property as housing for the homeless. Spearheaded by Supervisor Chris Daly, the city will appoint a nine-member citizens committee to determine from an annual report which properties are suitable for homeless housing.
“This is a good opportunity to have a tracking system of surplus city properties when we create a citizens committee,” Daly said. “The city’s surplus property should be put toward homeless housing.”
The supervisor meeting began with a dedication to Elizabeth Sanchez, the 26-year-old mother who was deported back to her home in Guatemala after an internal mix-up at the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The INS gave her a wrong date for a follow-up hearing, and when she missed her meeting, she was deported.
Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval and Board President Tom Ammiano worked together with the city to help bring Sanchez back to the United States. On Monday, Sandoval presented Sanchez with flowers and a proclamation stating that Monday, Oct. 28 was Elizabeth Sanchez Day in the City and County of San Francisco.
Sanchez was away from her family for 97 days and was reunited with her husband and young daughter last week at San Francisco International Airport.
“Thank you for staying together with me and helping me,” Sanchez said. “Thank you for making my dreams come true.”
Reach May Chow at mchow@asianweek.com.
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