Chamber president negotiates deal for Chief Crazy Horse Inn

Photo by Bob Lickter Dianna Hill shakes hands with Duane Straswer after Wednesday night's meeting.

Dianna Hill, who owns the saloon and grill on Commercial Street in downtown Nevada City, first learned of the Strawser's negotiations with the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control at tonight's special City Council meeting. She nodded her head in agreement as Strawser announced what the ABC had agreed to prior to the meeting.

In a deal brokered by Chamber of Commerce President Duane Strawer, the Chief Crazy Horse Inn will be able to sell food to minors until 9 p.m. and continue having live music.

  Dianna Hill, who owns the saloon and grill on Commercial Street in downtown Nevada City, first learned of the Strawser's negotiations with the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control at tonight's special City Council meeting. She nodded her head in agreement as Strawser announced what the ABC had agreed to prior to the meeting.

  Hill applied to the ABC earlier this year for a license that would allow her to sell food to minors. One of the conditions for the new license was that the Chief Crazy Horse Inn would have to limit the volume of live music, a condition that Hill said would hurt her business.

After months of negotiations with the ABC and Nevada City Police Chief Lou Trovato, Hill and her supporters asked the City Council at a previous meeting to show some support for the downtown business. At that time, the council agreed to put the matter on the agenda for tonight's meeting.

Strawser, however, took the matter into his own hands and was thanked by Hill and the City Council for his efforts.

For background on this issue, we've attached a column written by editor Pat Butler. It was published prior to Wednesday night's City Council meeting.

My View by Pat Butler

 Dianna Hill owns a small business, the supposed backbone of the American economy and representative of Nevada City's no-corporate culture, which we like to point to with pride as a quality-of -ife issue.

  She bought her business in the historic downtown district about three years ago and has made it a better place to spend time and money. The Chief Crazy Horse Saloon and Grill also has its historical qualifications, opening in 1964, and provides a good venue for our flourishing live-music culture, which really makes Nevada City special.

  Yet, it all might come crashing down soon without at least a little official reassurance.

  Hill has taken the seemingly innocent step of opening the door wider to bureaucracy, which is rarely good for business in California. The lack of moral or other support from the city has only deepened her anguish.

  Her nightmare began when she decided this year to take a step toward growing her business, the sort of desire that feeds an economy, creates or keeps jobs, and supplies revenue to governments that helps pay the salaries of the same public officials whose help she now seeks.

  Hill wants to serve more food, which means getting a license from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control that allows minors to eat there until 9 p.m. In fact, she says the Chief Crazy Horse needs to sell more food or it could go out of business.

    In order to get that license, she was asked to agree to a number of conditions, including one that regulates the volume of music that pulsates out the front door and windows of her establishment when the Bob Woods Trio and others are cooking on the small stage.

  It’s a non-defined standard so Hill is concerned any complaint could lead to a full-blown ABC investigation and possible fines and punishment that she can’t afford.

  The reason for this condition is one person lives within 100 feet of a bar and grill that is located on Commercial Street in downtown Nevada City. That person, for the record, has never complained about the music at Chief Crazy Horse, according to the ABC.

  But code is code and bureaucrats are bureaucrats and that means at this stage discretion is not an option: One person living within 100 feet of a restaurant is the same as having an entire neighborhood next to an eating establishment, according to the code.

  For its part, ABC said it is not in the business of running bars out of business, especially since it’s their revenue that keeps them in the regulatory business. ABC District Manager Lori Ajax said every complaint needs to be investigated, but she only has nine investigators to cover 11 counties, including Sacramento, El Dorado and Yuba.

   Ajax said the noise condition is standard for the type of license Hill seeks and it is there to “insure the community is protected.”  She went on to say, however, the “police department weighs heavily” in these matters and “obviously, we want their input” while doing an investigation, which it will initiate if someone complains enough.

  Hill has been trying to no avail to enlist some support from the city. She has met several times with Police Chief Lou Trovato, who told the City Council recently there is nothing the police department can do in this matter since it involves a state agency.

  Chamber of Commerce President Duane Strawser said he got the impression from ABC officials it is the city that is concerned about the noise, which seems to contradict what the chief said at the meeting.

  Fortunately, a number of city residents walked to the microphone at a recent meeting and demanded the city do something to help. The City Council eventually did agree to put the Chief Crazy Horse Saloon and Grill issue on the agenda for its next meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

  When she bought the business three years ago and began the transformation from karaoke bar to one that offers live music and tacos and hamburgers, Dianna Hill put it all on the line like so many small business owners.

  The former special education teacher used her home as collateral and now works long hours to keep the business open in what is the toughest economy in nearly 80 years.

  If she can’t sell more food, she fears she won’t be able to stay open. If she can’t stay open, we lose a business that employs five people, provides entertainment and pays taxes.

   In order for Hill to agree to that final condition that she believes could have a pivotal impact on her bottom line, she needs to know that the City Council and Police Department want her to stay in town.

  Let’s hope they can make that clear at the next City Council meeting. Otherwise, our town could lose a piece of what makes it a fun place to live and visit, which is something we can’t afford.

Pat Butler is the editor and publisher of the Nevada City Advocate. He can be reached by e-mailing pat@nevadacityadvocate.com or by calling 530-470-9088. Check out his blog at nevadacityadvocate.com.