It’s official: Heart WeHo can keep ticking until 4 a.m. on weekends.
The Business License Commission unanimously granted the West Hollywood bar two more hours of operation after a hearing Tuesday night in which the public came out strongly in favor of the move. The Commission has previously reached a tie decision in a hearing earlier this year, resulting in last night’s re-vote.
The crime statistics and data about calls to the Sheriff’s Department requested by the Commission were presented by city staff, and they showed Heart had 109 calls for service from January 2022 to May 2023, while Mickey’s had 268 calls during the same period. The majority of the calls for both clubs occurred before 2 a.m., with pickpocketing being the most common reported crime.
Based on the data and compliance with the West Hollywood Municipal Code, city staff had recommended approving the extended business license application while proposing conditions on the bar such as having a manager on duty, closing the patio at 2 a.m., employing security guards, and conducting an annual review of the business license to assess its impact on public safety.
The bar had already been staying open until 4 a.m. for the past several months using the city’s Special Event permits, at a cost of $1,500 each.
Heart WeHo is so far the first and only establishment in either the Rainbow District or the Sunset Strip to be granted later hours of operation, except for a 24-hour strip club.
Representatives of the bar shared their process of closing the club, including a countdown, clearing the floor of alcohol, and transitioning patrons from the outdoor patio to inside the club. He highlighted their investment in a sound system called Void, which reduces noise travel and pollution.
Members of the community came out to note how the later hours of operation have made their neighborhood safer.
Resident Boone Aguilar remembered suffering from the crowds at Flaming Saddles. It’s not like that anymore, he says.
“I have noticed, probably over the last six months, that the amount of people walking drunk up Larrabee has decreased significantly,” Aguilar said. “I actually can’t remember the last time I saw someone drunk on Larrabee Street, which is amazing, and I’m hoping that has to do with the extension of hours. As a consumer, I have been a big fan of the extended hours as well. And when you get to that point where you’re like, “Yes, I want to continue the party,” then that two o’clock hits, that three o’clock kicks in, and by the time you leave, you actually feel almost normal. So, I really do feel like the extension gives the consumer a safe place to just unwind and then get home safely.”
Alcohol sales will continue to cease at 2 a.m.
“This is not creating more problems,” said Genevieve Morrill, president of the WeHo Chamber of Commerce. “This is creating a safer environment.”
Things that are good that will come from this:
Things that are bad that will come from this: more DUIs, more jackasses racing their unnecessarily loud cars up and down the boulevard, robberies, thefts, muggings, fights, the occasional shooting, drunk and disorderly, overdoses, sexual assaults.
Yeah, there’s a reason mom said nothing good happens after midnight.
What’s with all the has beens on here? What are you worried about? I’ve lived here for 10 years and if your new here you have no say since you moved into party town. Go to Beverly Hills if you want to live in a boring straight area. Think of WEHO as Vegas. Would you move to the strip? If not move out. I don’t see the point myself if they aren’t serving alcohol. We would probably just go home and party instead and annoy our neighbors..
I agree with you its Vegas.. bring on the slots!
Nothing says Vegas like a 9 year old crying on the strip at 2 am because he wants to go to bed but dad kinda gambled away the money for their hotel room.
SAD !!! Less than a month ago a new business on the strip asked to extend bizness one hour.. https://wehoonline.com/2023/05/02/doughbriks-pizzeria-wont-get-stay-open-later-night/ How is it that the city is able to play favorites in so many ways and not get called out or honestly dragged to court. I hope David Dobrik @daviddobrik and his partner a co founder of Lemonade ( Yet another closed business in Weho ) call the city out..or send a loud message and relocate to the city of LA …WEHO has to step up already and clean its act.. Sorry david as a neighbor I support you and… Read more »
Well, that pizza place doesn’t have a bathroom and hasn’t even been in business for 1 year.
Those reasons could have something to do with it!
Zing. Good to know. So, maybe we have the city force him to close an extra hour earlier?
I have a visceral hatred for Dobrik for reasons entirely unrelated to his pizza, which, if it’s actually good, I would eat but I’d make sure it’s hate-eating.
There’s going to be a lot going on between 2-4am in the gender neutral restrooms for sure.
A nightclub with no bar? Just bizarre! I give it 3 months before the liquor fines start.
Listening to each committee member fawn over Hearts reps last night was truly pathetic.
They’ll make plenty on $6 water bottles
Back in the day there was a very popular disco/club called PROBE which was on Highland. They had to cease alcohol sales between 2 and 6 am but that didn’t diminish the size of the crowd. Many stayed until 6 am or beyond to continue dancing and, yes, drinking. They remained open for many years.
and lots of drugs..
Like no one is on drugs when they are at any of WeHo’s current clubs/bars?
No, not like they are at an after hours bars. I worked at Probe and a bunch of the other places when I first moved here and I was naive as to what those clubs after hours were all about until I took a look. Now I know. And no, the folks going to those after hours clubs are not like the folks you meet at the regular -hours clubs.
When the vodka ceases to flow the MDMA keeps the party going.
Probe. Remember nights of having to run to the car to get to a place where we felt safe. It was a palace for doing drugs. Folks doing a lot of drugs. How many people under age of 20/30/40/50/60 like to hang out til sunrise drinking bottled water? What’s the motivation for Heart when there is no money in it? Kindness of their Heart(s)? Reminds me how the Abbey was originally opened as a haven from alcohol. Cake and coffee was nice until they realized the money was in the booze and straight strippers and screw people needing a safe… Read more »
I dont like the decision but I do trust Elysee, so I have to accept her judgment here and trust that it’s the right move.
She’s lost my confidence. If this request was up by her house you know she fight tooth and nail. Now that she’s open the door I hope to the club does open up by her and she can read the benefits of her decision.
She has lost my confidence. You know if this request was up by her house she would fight it tooth and nail. Now that the door is open, I hope I knew club opens up by her place and they request to stay open till 4 AM. Then she can reap the benefits of her decision. (Larry, you can no longer edit your post no matter how quickly you hit the edit button after posting. There must be a glitch.)
No surprise. This city does NOT care about the people that live here…just about the people that come to party here and the $$$ it brings to the city.
how much money can come in between 2am and 4am serving water and diet coke.
Apparently enough for heart to want to stay open. They’re not doing it out of the goodness for the community. They are doing it because there’s something in it for them. I think they’re hoping that people knowing they’re open an extra two hours will come to them for the night instead of their competition. Now with the door open more places will also asked to stay open an extra two hours. In the near future you’ll have all the bars and clubs open till 4 AM whether they serve alcohol or not (they still smoke pot as they’re leaving)… Read more »
yes I understand, but if your argument is the extra sales tax dollars..then staying open should not be a privilege for some, and should be allowable for other shops in the area without the heavy requirements.
They should not have allowed the bars and clubs to stay open until 4am. They have now opened the door, Since Mickey’s has been allowed, I knew damn well that Heart would also be allowed for your very reason. My point was that they should not have allowed this to begin with. Now the door is open. And now the community will have to deal with the negative repercussions of this decision.
That’s the million dollar question. Why do this?
Because lots of people including me want to be there from time to time after 2 am. Because it’s part of a very large and diverse metropolitan area full of people who aren’t all on the same schedule. Obvious answer here, it’s called supply and demand. It’s also a lot easier for people to get Uber and Lyft rides between 3-4 am, and they’re less expensive too by then.
Your need to dance until 4am does not trump the residents right to peace and quite. This is not just a commercial zone…there is a residential zone that is directly adjacent. Your selfness need to party all night long is irrelevant.
You live in a city. Maybe move to the suburbs if you want peace and quiet. And… Happy Pride!
You choose to live adjacent to a busy nightclub district and then complain about the noise. Seriously?
Don’t move to America’s #1 gay party city! Really? If you want Beverly Hills it’s only a few blocks west. Why do you live here?
Sounds like quite the life. Good luck with that.
How about getting an Uber at 1am?
You don’t know me personally. You want me planning your life and daily schedule as much as I want you planning mine. If you want to control others so much, I suggest trying an escort service.
Your reply is ridiculous. But I guess that’s the best you got. LOL
Leave. This is the #1 gay party city and you moved to it. Hello? Lol Go to Beverly Hills. This is not a quite city and never has been. Stop trying to ruin it with your conservative boring attitude.
This is great but, no one is unwinding at Heart. That is not a place to “unwind”.
[…] At the hearing, “the public came out strongly in favor of the move,” WEHOville reported. […]
So the logic is that with a later closing time, the pickpockets and criminals won’t know when they’re leaving. Thus reducing crime?
We’re really reaching for solutions here. There’s a time proven solution to crime- MORE POLICE.
These people will still be drunk…..so why not set up random sobriety police roadblocks and change behavior? Too much common sense perhaps.
Good. Every other business should adopt the later hours if they see fit. It’s complete overreach to dictate to businesses what their mere hours of operation should have to be.
So, by that logic, we should go the way of Sin City or the Big Easy. Yeah, 24 booze consumption should fix this problem.
It’s not overreach. All cities have rules in place to balance the need of businesses and the need of residential. Every city.
The businesses, foremost being the bars and dance clubs, are the anchor of West Hollywood. The residents of West Hollywood are all replaceable, there’s plenty of people from all over the country and from other countries who would gladly take your spot. I couldn’t care less about whatever rules you choose for yourself, supply and demand rules the free marketplace. Apparently the demand is there for this business. You lose.
Spoken like someone whose life revolves around booze and drugs. Well done!
Fantastic news!