Bars win renewal
of licensesThe clubs will face greater scrutiny
in light of past violence
A downtown club and a Kailua sports bar won renewal of their liquor licenses Thursday night, despite residents' concerns about recent violent incidents.
After a four-hour meeting, the Honolulu Liquor Commission approved both licenses with restrictions and said the sites should expect increased scrutiny in the coming year.
In the first case, the commission voted to renew the shared liquor license of Pachinko Karaoke and Venus Nightclub on Kona Street, which are under the same ownership. The license was renewed under a proposed settlement that will shut Pachinko down and put Venus on a one-year probation.
The liquor license must also be transferred to a new owner within 60 days, according to Deputy Corporation Counsel Debi Tulang-De Silva.
The settlement will undergo some additions to allow the board to revoke the club's license, Tulang-De Silva said, and go before the commission in July for final approval.
A fatal beating took place near Pachinko's in April.
In response to the incident and others, community members circulated a petition in hopes of suspending the liquor license shared by Venus and Pachinko.
The commission also voted to renew the liquor license of Porky's Sports Pub & Grill, where two people sustained gunshot wounds in October after an alleged confrontation. The license was approved under conditions that include three- and six-month follow-up reviews.
Commissioners heard more than two hours of testimony on the issue.
About six people testified against the liquor license's renewal, while about 20 spoke in favor of it.
Faith Evans, who testified for the Kailua Neighborhood Board, said she has heard dozens of complaints about the bar since it has opened.
"For a number of years," she said, "we've had a number of calls from residents very concerned about the noise and ... the actions surrounding the area."
Others alleged they have seen illegal activity at the bar and several liquor law violations.
Sgt. Wayne Fernandez of the Kailua police substation, who responded to the October shooting, said the bar has "a potential out there for problems, for violence outside in the streets."
But Kailua resident Ramona Sarkissian, who frequents the bar with her husband, said Porky's presents "no harm to the community."
"She (owner Kathy Ogata) runs it in a very discretionary manner," Sarkissian said.
Henry Chun, Ogata's landlord, agreed.
"I have no complaints," Chun said. "She keeps the place clean. From a landlord's standpoint, I'm very pleased."