BY-NC-SA Oakland's City Council wants to update cabaret laws which would extend bar and club closing times to 5 AM. Members of the City Council see a potential increase in revenue if the current law is changed. But moving along with these changes may not be that easy. Some Oakland residents feel that in order to make this shift that the city needs to tone down its violenent crime rate first.
Currently the cabaret law states that club owners need to apply for "zoning approval, submit to background checks, and get fire and health inspections in order to play live music or music hosted by a disc jockey at their venues." Small and large venues pay the same fees for some permits. The new cabaret law would reduce permit fees for some bars to $600 from $2,200, create a smoother application process and extending closing time to 5AM from 2AM.
Changing the closing time for clubs would likely require a greater police presence at those hours. CQ press--an independent publisher--released in 2009 their annual city crime rankings and Oakland ranked as the third worst in the nation. The rankings were based on murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and vehicle theft. Is Oakland ready to have more people out at night?
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