Live entertainment and amplified music in the Robertson Outzone received a resounding “Shhh” at the West Hollywood City Council meeting Monday night.
A unanimous vote by council would have been required to ratify the city manager’s most recent executive order, which came on the heels of lifted COVID restrictions across the city and state. The order currently permits live music and entertainment in the Robertson Outzone but excludes other participants in the Outzone program.
Councilmembers were nowhere near unanimously supportive.
“When I voted for Out on Robertson, what really attracted me to this was the ability for us to be able to help some of our businesses that were suffering,” said Councilmember Sepi Shyne. “From what I’m seeing all it’s going to be is the Abbey having their speakers outside or bringing their drag show out. And personally it was very loud. I think we do need to think about our residents that do live in that area and they want to have some quiet during the weekend.”
“There used to be noise complaints all the time up until COVID,” Councilmember Lauren Meister said. “ I think it’ll be a mistake.”
Councilmember John Erickson hoped to table the item so Councilmember John D’Amico could be present.
“We did Out on Robertson together,” Erickson said. “I think it would be unfair for us to have a conversation without him on this one.”
The council decided to rescind the executive order issued by City Manager Paul Arevalo during his last meeting on the dais. Staff was then directed to bring it back for discussion when the full council meets on July 21.
I live across the street from the Standard Hotel. About 12 years ago they were having a raging night in their little club with people spilling out onto the sidewalk. Saturday night, so I gave them some slack. At 1 am, with the music still blasting and my windows actually vibrating with the beat, I decided to call the police after numerous calls to management went unheeded. I went out on the street and saw a Sheriff car passing so I flagged him down and pointed out the obvious noise well past the 10 pm mark. His reply: Do you… Read more »
Seriously! They couldn’t postpone the vote on the budget in order to examine the potential negative effects of the new hospitality ordinance, irresponsibly deciding on a split vote to push ahead despite the uncertainty, but they postpone a vote to make more noise?
Yup. We don’t have the best running the show at the moment. One bad decision after another.
These are not serious people. WH is a silly city……and those of us that pay all the taxes……are on our way out.
Yup. If my job was not here my house would be up for sale.
Their next meeting isn’t until July, and the budget has to be passed by July 1, when they also renew their contract with the Sheriff’s Department. But if there was a workaround, they should have taken it. D’Amico needed to have a seat at the table for this one, even if it passed with a 3 to 2 vote. Regarding the hotel study, the incoming city manager said that would take 2 to 3 months. They can’t wait that long to pass a fiscal budget. I don’t think the city would even be able to operate. This has happened on… Read more »
West Hollywood CC and Staff simply have no idea about the quality of life, do not embrace it perhaps because they don’t understand it. Quality of Life is like a mosaic that functions due to the balance and nurture of its parts. In WH each individual cause of effort is screeching to be noticed, there are those to pander to these efforts but have no view of the whole. Unable to see the forest for the trees. Quality also has a close relationship to Value.
Rich West Hollywood West and Norma residents are scrambling to deploy more anti-gay and anti-young regulations to complete their dream of creating an annex of Beverly Hills so they can re-fi and buy up more properties elsewhere and gorge on macaroons from Bottega Louie. Pathetic.
Read below and educate yourself.
@ NIMBY’S-B-GONE: These two neighborhoods are outstanding examples of folks dedicated to being informed on all levels, conducting themselves in a reasonable manner and cohesively remaining an enjoyable neighborhood as many may remember in their lives before abject divisiveness and acting out become acceptable. Many neighborhoods in West Hollywood could have and still can follow this simple reasonable conduct if they had more will. The physical integrity of the neighborhood is also highly respected. Your anti-gay and anti-young assertions are sheer nonsense…take a load off of your back.
exactly. well put.
very well stated Reality —
Can someone explain the process here ? I couldn’t decipher the decision to postpone, and I’d say most of the council couldn’t either. No one wants this except Lindsey and the Abbey, so why was the discussion postponed?
Yeah, postpone the vote in the hope that in a few weeks residents won’t be as focused on this. But we will. If any one of these council members votes to allow the continuation of this Robertson Outzone (with or without live music) -all to benefit ONE business and one business only – they will definitely lose the support of the West Hollywood West & Norma Triangle neighborhoods. Come next election, they will be out. This program was shoved down our throat’s with no community input and without other business support on that block. It’s a total waste of city… Read more »
Completely agree. Last Saturday I saw 4 Sheriff’s deputies standing around chit-chatting at the corner of SMB/Robertson while a sports car sped through from Almont and crossed Doheny several seconds after the light turned red. He was going at least 65-70mph and could have easily caused a tragic accident. Thank goodness I pulled back my dog just in time. The priorities of many on this council are completely backwards. Completely disappointed in this Sophomoric council that did not seek any input from residents on this item and agree that it’s only benefitting Abbey. There was resounding negative comments from residents… Read more »
Exactly.
Agreed!!!
Totally agree.
You West Hollywood West and Norma Triangle residents that complain want to believe you live in some sort rural part of the state. You live in the city and their is going to be noise. Your houses are not that close to the abbey so the music can’t be that loud. This just like when you all had a fit about Catch’s music that I could barley here from right across the street a PDC.
Considering it’s louder on the other side of Santa Monica Blvd behind Micky’s, Revolver and the other former nightspots there which are closer to residential property than The Abbey, and it’s always been this way, I don’t even understand what people are complaining about with this besides the traffic situation. Guess what, the HEART of the nightlife area is going to be LOUD! You did notice that before you moved here, right?
Actually, no. I have lived in West Hollywood West since 1989, Until the last 8-10 years, it was very quiet, especially outside the 9-5. All our houseguests commented on how peaceful it was. I didn’t move to the nuisance; it came to me.
Exactly Kimberly. Same here. Never heard the clubs for the first 20 years I lived in my home. It’s only been the 10 years or so since all the bars started opening up their front walls to have open facades to the street. That’s when the trouble started. The Abbey has been allowed to take up an entire street, hauling massive speakers to blast the music from the street right into residents homes. That’s ridiculous. Now they want live entertainment all weekend long. NO.
Sound travels. Does not matter how close you are…It can be louder the closer you get, but neighborhoods should not be hearing the sound blocks away. period. That is the code. That is the law. (also see Kimberly and Tom’s responses below. Their responses are spot on).
People in every city across the country are protected from commercial noise. There are limited hours on when construction can take place, how far sound can be heard from any given business, etc. These rules are put into place for a reason, so that people living in cities can have some quality of life. Most residents of West Hollywood West and the Norma Triangle Neighborhood have seen their quality of life erode over the years. Government’s primary job is to protect its residents. West Hollywood city Council should be more concerned with the people that actually live here then the… Read more »
Yes, get rid of this Abbey-only plan.
Yes, we move to a city knowing we were going to be living in a city. We moved to a city where shows and club activity was INSIDE bars and only on the streets twice a year. Saying that the residents have to put up with whatever noise a nightclub decides to make and sit back and let the city codify it into law is unfair, and it’s within our rights as residents and voters to remind our elected officials of that. Now if you want to move to some community where the business on the corner can take over… Read more »
Exactly, Tom. Years ago, all activity from the bars and nightclubs was inside the structure and there were no open facades to the street so ALL the noise was contained within the structure. Open facades only happened in the last 10 years or so and the residential neighbors started to be affected by the noise. Now, with the Abbey (in particular due to their size, location and preferential treatment of a whole street to utilize) the sound is traveling even more into the residential sector. Thank you for explaining this further. Now we just need for the council to understand… Read more »
If you have been annoyed with this for the last 10 years as you have stated multiple times here clearly, this recent plan of a few months with the outzone is just your latest excuse to rail against this sector of the business community, which is the most popular and thriving in the city, by the way. Take this outzone experiment away and you are still going to be complaining, I don’t have to put that to you as a question.
Yes, complaining for 10 years and very frustrated that the city won’t enforce their own code. And on top of that, they’r are making the situation worse by expanding the Abbey to the public street. You don’t get it and I my guess is you won’t.
I have lived in West Hollywood for 30 years. And in Norma Triangle since 2009. Mr. Jason K, I assure I understand what living in the city is like. The tribal beat of sound that wafts up from the Abbey is significant and affects the quality of life here on Elevado. No one is having “a fit” here, we are addressing the issue as responsible homeowners. As well, many of us enjoy and appreciate the bar and restaurant life in our neighborhood. However, there are limits and the neighbors deserve recognition.
Well said and all true.