Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Monkey Karma

After a rancorous fight with her landlord, Hot Monkey Love Café owner Alma Felan says her seven-night-a-week, all-age music venue has signed a lease for a new building. Hot Monkey Love will be moving out of its 2000-square-foot space on El Cajon Boulevard for a new home at a 4000-square-foot building down the street.

Although she said she had signed a long-term lease last week, she did not want to disclose the new address except to say that it is near SDSU.

Hot Monkey Love has been at its current location for almost four years. Its last day there will be June 30. Felan said she hopes to open up the new venue by mid-July.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Felan and Hot Monkey Love endured three years of litigation over property easement issues with her landlord, the Alliance for African Assistance, which is headquartered next door.

Felan's attorney, Sandy Troy, claimed the Alliance would hang a chain across a driveway, making it impossible for Hot Monkey customers to leave. He said bolt cutters had to be used to allow them to leave. Troy also maintained the Alliance would harass Hot Monkey's clientele by taking photos of them.

Felan lost a court case with the Alliance earlier this year and was told Hot Monkey would have to vacate.

At the time Felan lost the case, she said this about Alliance executive director Walter Lam: "He knows how to beat the system." She said he would "blame the café for every single issue that was happening on El Cajon Boulevard."

Felan is now less bitter. She says she wishes Lam and the Alliance "the best. I don't want to have any bad karma."

Felan said she heard from other sources that the Alliance had a change of heart and in fact wanted Hot Monkey to stay. "But I am not staying. I don't want to give them any more money."

Alma said in spite of the court battle, she is happy with the resolution. "This forced our business to grow and make it better. We had a lot of great memories [at the current location]. A lot of great moments."

A call to Lam was not returned.

Hot Monkey Love has a live performance or a DJ seven nights a week. Jazz, rock, salsa, and reggae bands are given their own night of the week.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Next Article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob

After a rancorous fight with her landlord, Hot Monkey Love Café owner Alma Felan says her seven-night-a-week, all-age music venue has signed a lease for a new building. Hot Monkey Love will be moving out of its 2000-square-foot space on El Cajon Boulevard for a new home at a 4000-square-foot building down the street.

Although she said she had signed a long-term lease last week, she did not want to disclose the new address except to say that it is near SDSU.

Hot Monkey Love has been at its current location for almost four years. Its last day there will be June 30. Felan said she hopes to open up the new venue by mid-July.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Felan and Hot Monkey Love endured three years of litigation over property easement issues with her landlord, the Alliance for African Assistance, which is headquartered next door.

Felan's attorney, Sandy Troy, claimed the Alliance would hang a chain across a driveway, making it impossible for Hot Monkey customers to leave. He said bolt cutters had to be used to allow them to leave. Troy also maintained the Alliance would harass Hot Monkey's clientele by taking photos of them.

Felan lost a court case with the Alliance earlier this year and was told Hot Monkey would have to vacate.

At the time Felan lost the case, she said this about Alliance executive director Walter Lam: "He knows how to beat the system." She said he would "blame the café for every single issue that was happening on El Cajon Boulevard."

Felan is now less bitter. She says she wishes Lam and the Alliance "the best. I don't want to have any bad karma."

Felan said she heard from other sources that the Alliance had a change of heart and in fact wanted Hot Monkey to stay. "But I am not staying. I don't want to give them any more money."

Alma said in spite of the court battle, she is happy with the resolution. "This forced our business to grow and make it better. We had a lot of great memories [at the current location]. A lot of great moments."

A call to Lam was not returned.

Hot Monkey Love has a live performance or a DJ seven nights a week. Jazz, rock, salsa, and reggae bands are given their own night of the week.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024
Next Article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.