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Published on 09/01/1999 All articles from this issue

Los Altos City Council pulls the plug on local lounge despite eleventh-hour pleas

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

They asked for mercy and one more month to show how they had complied with all city requirements. But the answer was no.

The Los Altos City Council unanimously voted at its Aug. 24 meeting to revoke the conditional use permit of Club Mirage on El Camino Real, which police said operated more like a nightclub than the restaurant/cocktail lounge for which it had a permit.

"These people flagrantly disregarded the law," said Councilman John Moss.

After more than six months of resident complaints of noise from late-night live salsa music, crowds exceeding 600 in a space designed for 300 and a business with three kitchens that allegedly did no on-site cooking, the council said enough.

Club Mirage lawyers pleaded the case for the club, saying it now has a restaurant going and owners have followed all city requests.

"We've tried to straighten up our act," said Tony Lagorio, former Los Altos city attorney and now attorney for Club Mirage. "They hired security to deal with the crowding, they're taking care of the noise. And we want to have a full-fledged restaurant operating," he said.

But for the council, it was too little too late.

"There was no effort to comply until we were serious about revoking the use permit," said Los Altos Mayor Lou Becker. "If they really wanted to comply, they would have done it sooner."

Patrons from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills who like to go dancing defended the club.

"The fact that they are having crowds show up, it shows you people want to go dance," said Los Altos native Patricia Trayor. "We need something like this. Going downtown for coffee just doesn't cut it."

"They cannot legally operate there," said City Manager Phil Rose. But "it will take time for enforcement."

City Attorney Bob Booth said the club has three options: "Cease operations; sue us (the city) in court and go for an injunction - what I'd expect; do nothing and let us sue them."

According to Lagorio, "We don't intend to sue the city. We want to make an accommodation."