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

It's a raid!

Officials raided the Show Palace on the night Mexico’s “Queen of Rock,” Alejandra Guzman, was scheduled to perform.
Officials raided the Show Palace on the night Mexico’s “Queen of Rock,” Alejandra Guzman, was scheduled to perform.

“They came in like Nazis and chased everybody out. They turned the place upside down looking for something. They had dogs and everything.”

Place

Show Palace

1527 East Mission Avenue, Oceanside

Susana Perez was at the Show Palace in Oceanside on Friday, October 26, when she said state, federal, and local agents staged a raid on the concert venue. Latin Grammy Award–winning singer Alejandra Guzman (hyped as Mexico’s “Queen of Rock”) was preparing to headline a show that night when the officials paid a surprise visit.

“It was eight o’clock. They came in and told everybody who was eating to just get up and leave. They told all the employees to meet in the restaurant.” Perez says agents from the DEA, state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), the state Employment Development Department (EDD), and Oceanside police were there to investigate.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“They were looking behind desks and under sofa cushions. They apparently didn’t find anything. Then, at about 10:30, they just said, ‘Never mind,’ and let everybody back in as if nothing had happened. Can you imagine how much money they wasted on this raid?”

Perez says the place then filled up as more than 1000 mostly well-dressed fans paid $46 to see Guzman perform.

Latin artists have frequented the Show Palace for 12 years. On the preceding Friday, Bay Area rapper E40 played to a sold-out (1200-plus) crowd, demonstrating the Show Palace’s emergence as a multigenre venue.

Bay Area rapper E40 recently sold out (1200 seats) the targeted Oceanside venue.

Local ABC administrator Melissa Ryan admitted her crew was part of the raid, but she said that until her department takes official action she could not go into specifics.

But an insider explains that ABC agents were most likely trying to bust the Show Palace for violating its 50/50 commitment to have at least 50 percent of its total sales in food, as required by its Type 47 license as a restaurant. The insider says the state EDD was there because the Show Palace was allegedly paying employees under the table.

Ryan says she had to meet with owner Juan Cortes before she would issue a notice of violation, which could include a suspension or revocation of the liquor license.

“They showed no respect,” Perez says of the agents. “This place is trying to raise the bar for entertainment and take it to the next level, and they are just destroying that business by destroying its reputation. [Cortes] took a dinosaur that had been mismanaged and turned it around.”

Cortes did not want to respond to questions about the raid.

While Ryan would not get specific, she did defend the ABC’s role in forcing “restaurants” with a 47 license to sell at least 50 percent in food. “[Cortes] knew the nature of the license when he bought it,” she explains. I noted that it seemed facetious to expect a place like the Show Palace to sell 50 percent in food. “Then he can try to purchase a different license.” That different license would be a Type 48, which would allow the sale of liquor with no food stipulations. Those licenses cost between $45,000 and $80,000. Oceanside officials have stated they would not be apt to approve any more 48 licenses in town.

“The 50/50 rule is a joke,” says one insider with knowledge of ABC rules. “It is arbitrary bullshit with unequal enforcement. I’ll bet you no one has looked to see if the Roxy [in West Hollywood] is compliant with its 50/50 in 20 years. Two years ago in San Francisco, the ABC was going after all these great theater venues, like Slim’s, trying to close them down and then elected officials got involved and got the ABC to back down.”

While not directly addressing the unfair enforcement, Ryan did say, “We are complaint-based. We have to act when it becomes clear a licensee is brazenly breaking the law.”

Local DEA spokeswoman Amy Roderick said via telephone that her department did not participate in the raid.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Tijuana sewage infects air in South Bay

By September, Imperial Beach’s beach closure broke 1000 consecutive days
Next Article

Why did Harrah's VP commit suicide last summer?

Did the fight the Rincon casino had with San Diego County over Covid play a part?
Officials raided the Show Palace on the night Mexico’s “Queen of Rock,” Alejandra Guzman, was scheduled to perform.
Officials raided the Show Palace on the night Mexico’s “Queen of Rock,” Alejandra Guzman, was scheduled to perform.

“They came in like Nazis and chased everybody out. They turned the place upside down looking for something. They had dogs and everything.”

Place

Show Palace

1527 East Mission Avenue, Oceanside

Susana Perez was at the Show Palace in Oceanside on Friday, October 26, when she said state, federal, and local agents staged a raid on the concert venue. Latin Grammy Award–winning singer Alejandra Guzman (hyped as Mexico’s “Queen of Rock”) was preparing to headline a show that night when the officials paid a surprise visit.

“It was eight o’clock. They came in and told everybody who was eating to just get up and leave. They told all the employees to meet in the restaurant.” Perez says agents from the DEA, state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), the state Employment Development Department (EDD), and Oceanside police were there to investigate.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“They were looking behind desks and under sofa cushions. They apparently didn’t find anything. Then, at about 10:30, they just said, ‘Never mind,’ and let everybody back in as if nothing had happened. Can you imagine how much money they wasted on this raid?”

Perez says the place then filled up as more than 1000 mostly well-dressed fans paid $46 to see Guzman perform.

Latin artists have frequented the Show Palace for 12 years. On the preceding Friday, Bay Area rapper E40 played to a sold-out (1200-plus) crowd, demonstrating the Show Palace’s emergence as a multigenre venue.

Bay Area rapper E40 recently sold out (1200 seats) the targeted Oceanside venue.

Local ABC administrator Melissa Ryan admitted her crew was part of the raid, but she said that until her department takes official action she could not go into specifics.

But an insider explains that ABC agents were most likely trying to bust the Show Palace for violating its 50/50 commitment to have at least 50 percent of its total sales in food, as required by its Type 47 license as a restaurant. The insider says the state EDD was there because the Show Palace was allegedly paying employees under the table.

Ryan says she had to meet with owner Juan Cortes before she would issue a notice of violation, which could include a suspension or revocation of the liquor license.

“They showed no respect,” Perez says of the agents. “This place is trying to raise the bar for entertainment and take it to the next level, and they are just destroying that business by destroying its reputation. [Cortes] took a dinosaur that had been mismanaged and turned it around.”

Cortes did not want to respond to questions about the raid.

While Ryan would not get specific, she did defend the ABC’s role in forcing “restaurants” with a 47 license to sell at least 50 percent in food. “[Cortes] knew the nature of the license when he bought it,” she explains. I noted that it seemed facetious to expect a place like the Show Palace to sell 50 percent in food. “Then he can try to purchase a different license.” That different license would be a Type 48, which would allow the sale of liquor with no food stipulations. Those licenses cost between $45,000 and $80,000. Oceanside officials have stated they would not be apt to approve any more 48 licenses in town.

“The 50/50 rule is a joke,” says one insider with knowledge of ABC rules. “It is arbitrary bullshit with unequal enforcement. I’ll bet you no one has looked to see if the Roxy [in West Hollywood] is compliant with its 50/50 in 20 years. Two years ago in San Francisco, the ABC was going after all these great theater venues, like Slim’s, trying to close them down and then elected officials got involved and got the ABC to back down.”

While not directly addressing the unfair enforcement, Ryan did say, “We are complaint-based. We have to act when it becomes clear a licensee is brazenly breaking the law.”

Local DEA spokeswoman Amy Roderick said via telephone that her department did not participate in the raid.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

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

Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band

Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU
Next Article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
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.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader