Banquet

Josh Kleinbaum Pointing to a trend of increased disturbances at banquet halls, the Police Department and the Planning Department proposed new zoning standards that would force banquet halls to meet performance standards that include private security. The City Council seemed lukewarm to the idea at a study session Tuesday, asking for more community input and another study session. "To all the people that have issues with banquet halls, the worst thing we can do is do nothing," Mayor Bob Yousefian said.

Fred Ortega A banquet hall facility on Colorado Street continues to operate despite code violations identified by city staff members, raising questions about the viability of the city's banquet hall ordinance. Anoush Family Restaurant, in the 400 block of West Colorado Street, was cited by the city's Neighborhood Services Division on June 21 for several violations of city law, including operating as a banquet hall in the San Fernando mixed-use zone, where such facilities are prohibited; numerous illegal additions and expansions; and prohibited outdoor cooking.

GLENDALE ? Outdoor grilling may soon become a non-issue as far as code enforcement is concerned after one of Glendale?s largest banquet halls became compliant this week, leaving just one other hall with outstanding violations, officials said. A recommendation to revoke MGM Banquet Hall?s zoning use certificate was rescinded after city officials confirmed that the necessary equipment to accommodate an open-flame grill in the kitchen had been installed, Neighborhood Services Director Sam Engel said.

ADAMS SQUARE — Prompted by a resident’s complaint, city officials have their eyes trained on another new Glendale restaurant suspected of being an illegal banquet hall, but the business owners laughed off the allegation on Wednesday and chalked it up to free advertising. The owners of De Revolution, a recently opened 56-seat restaurant and bar in Adams Square, say their phones rang off the hook Wednesday after City Hall activist and Adams Hills resident Margaret Hammond tagged the business as a banquet hall at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Jackson Bell Plagued by a recent uptick of weekend melees at banquet halls and other large venues, city officials formed a committee to kick around solutions for quelling the violence. Glendale Police have dispatched 101 officers to respond to 11 fights at eight event halls during the past two months. About 44 man-hours equaling between $3,000 and $4,000 of police work have gone to breaking up the brawls, said Capt. Mark Distaso, who oversees the department's Field Services.

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — A superior court judge Wednesday cleared the way for a criminal trial to move forward against owners of The Montrose Collection property after he denied a motion to dismiss the proceedings. Judge Stanley Blumenfeld told defense attorneys representing owners of The Montrose Collection, which city officials allege violated the Glendale Municipal Code in operating as an unsanctioned banquet hall, that their evidence is too compelling to be denied a jury hearing.

$150,000 already raised for obstetrics wing of hospital in Ghapan, Armenia.The Glendale-Ghapan Sister City Assn. has already raised $150,000 to revitalize the impoverished Armenian city's hospital, even though the group's main fund-raising banquet is still about two weeks away. Most of the funds came from two private donors, Don Owen of Ventura and Guy Devorris of Los Angeles, who each contributed $50,000 during a kick-off for the association's Ghapan Hospital Revitalization Project on Nov. 9, association President Artin Manoukian said.

Robert Chacon City officials are seeking public input as they consider revamping city zoning codes for banquet facilities. The Planning Department is looking at whether restrictions placed in zoning codes three years ago are effective in reducing general nuisances to residential neighborhoods where banquet facilities are located. City staff members received input from residents, banquet hall owners, police officers and firefighters Wednesday regarding the operation of 32 banquet halls in the city.

Legalizing outdoor grilling among changes also being considered in law.GLENDALE CITY HALL -- As the City Council considered eliminating 200-foot buffers between banquet halls and residences in mixed-use zones, city staffers were beginning their review of a planned four-story office and banquet hall facility that would provide only a 5-foot gap between it and apartments to the rear. The current law requires a 200-foot buffer between banquet halls and nearby homes in all zones. But the council is weighing changing the law to require the buffer between banquet halls and residential zones, a move that would exclude apartments or condos in mixed-use zones.

A man who allegedly tried to elbow two Glendale police officers during a massive brawl at a banquet hall this weekend could face battery and vandalism charges. The man, Karpis Termendzyan, was arrested Saturday after police responded to a fight at a wedding celebration Saturday that broke out among more than 100 people. Police received calls from numerous witnesses at 11:52 p.m. about the brawl at Dream Palace banquet hall in the 500 block of East Broadway. Termendzyan, 36, of Van Nuys, was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and battery after he allegedly spit on one officer and attempted to elbow two others, and later kicked in a rear window of a patrol car, said police Sgt. Tom Lorenz.

The impressive run to the state tournament enjoyed by the Glendale Community College baseball team last spring resulted in a slew of All-Conference, all-state and even All-American honors for various members of the Vaqueros. When it was all said and done, Glendale Coach Chris Cicuto was as decorated as any of them, having been named the Western State Conference South Division Coach of the Year, the Southern California All-American Team's Coach of the Year and finally the American Baseball Coaches Assn.

CITY HALL — A new banquet hall could soon fill the vacant building next to Billy’s Deli after the City Council gave the proposed site a number of key zoning approvals. The City Council, acting in its dual capacity as the Glendale Redevelopment Agency, unanimously approved design review and a conditional-use permit for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages for the proposed restaurant and banquet hall at 212 N. Orange St. Under the approved design plans, the building — previously home to the Christian Supply Center of Glendale — will receive “a sleeker, more contemporary” façade and a backdoor patio in the alley behind the building, according to city planners.

GLENDALE — Glendale Presbyterian Church representatives voiced concerns this week regarding a proposal by the Armenian Society of Los Angeles to use part of its newly constructed community building as a banquet hall and to allow for alcohol consumption at the multi-use cultural center. The society submitted an application with the city’s Planning Department for a permit to operate a banquet hall with alcohol service at its three-story building on the 100 block of South Louise Street.

CITY HALL — Glendale officials this week spent $35,000 to end a longstanding legal battle with the troubled banquet hall Montrose Collection — and in the process acquired tables, dishes and a Chevy van. The items were purchased as a part of the city's successful bid in bankruptcy court this week for the assets of the Montrose Collection Restaurant and Banquet Hall — including the restaurant's contents, liquor license and its...

CITY HALL — A bankruptcy judge has ordered the owners of Montrose Collection restaurant to cease all operations — adding to the legal troubles mounting against the controversial banquet hall. Montrose Collection Restaurant and Banquet Hall had already been forced to stop operations late last month when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted the city's request for a temporary injunction, a court mandate to stop violations of municipal code. City officials in June had filed a complaint against the restaurant for allegedly operating without proper permits, citing an earlier April court ruling that the city had the right to revoke the zoning exception that had allowed the banquet hall to operate.

When the Adams Hill Neighborhood Assn. elected to appeal the conditional-use permit city Zoning Administrator Edith Fuentes drafted and granted to the Moonlight Family Restaurant, we knew we were fighting a much bigger battle than the fate of just one neighborhood business. A casual look from the reporting of the outcome of the appeal made it seem that we had lost the battle or that the outcome wasn't ideal. That wasn't the case. The Moonlight restaurant has been the site of a stream of restaurants masquerading as banquet halls for years, and preventing another one from getting a liquor license wasn't going to change anything.

CITY HALL — A controversial Montrose banquet hall can continue to operate after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge blocked the city's attempt at forcing its closure. City officials in June filed a complaint against the Montrose Collection Restaurant and Banquet Hall for allegedly operating without proper permits, citing an earlier court ruling that the city had the right to revoke the zoning exception that had allowed the banquet hall to operate. But on Friday, Superior Court Judge William Stewart said he would not consider the city's request for a preliminary injunction against the restaurant until an appeal of the April ruling is settled.

GLENDALE — Montrose Collection Restaurant and Banquet Hall may have to shut down if a judge sides with city officials who claim its owners have continued to flout regulations. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge continued a hearing Thursday on issuing a preliminary injunction against Montrose Collection for allegedly continuing to conduct business without the proper city permits, according to court records. Judge William Stewart pushed the hearing to July 9, when city attorneys will make their case for shutting down the restaurant, according to court records.

Soccer team to hold car wash The AYSO Region 88 girls’ under-19 team will conduct a car wash from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 7950 Foothill Blvd., Sunland. The cost is $5 per car. Proceeds will go toward the squad competing in the Florida National Games. Information on the 2010 National Games can be found at www.ayso.org/events/national_games.aspx. Fan appreciation night set The Crescenta Valley High baseball team will hold its fan appreciation night at 7 p.m. May 14, when the Falcons meet rival Arcadia in a Pacific League contest at Stengel Field.