Sacramento city leaders aim to make it easier for small venues and businesses to host live entertainment. Currently, small spots like local pizza parlors and coffee shops must pay the same fees and follow the same permit applications and requirements as larger establishments. . According to the Sacramento City Council's agenda, this could prevent small businesses from hosting simple events like karaoke or live musicians. On Tuesday, city council members voted in favor of streamlining the process. The vote doesn't change anything immediately, but the City Council directed staff to enact an ordinance within six to eight weeks. “Making it easier for small businesses to host entertainment will 'unlock the potential of art, music and creativity,'” the mayor said. Darrell Steinberg said in a blog post from the City of Sacramento. “That's what Austin's and Nashville have done. It's not just about big establishments. With music being played in 10 locations around the city, it's important to create a cool, hip atmosphere. ” These are the criteria for the proposed Limited Entertainment Permit (LEP). ): Capacity 299 people or less. Businesses where entertainment is a secondary feature (e.g. restaurants with live music). Performances are limited to designated areas. Entertainment ends at 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends. These will be applicable. LEP-Based Entertainment: Musicians, Bands, DJs Dance Performances, Comedy Shows, Karaoke Why is it so difficult to host entertainment in small venues in Sacramento in the first place? City Council agenda documents state that in 2003, the City Council It is explained that the ordinance was adopted to regulate entertainment for reasons of public health, safety and welfare. “Sacramento has had issues with out-of-area promoters who have failed to properly manage patrons, resulting in excessive noise and violence,” the document states. “There were also problems with large, unruly crowds at warehouse events.” The document also said that while the ordinance worked to control some of those problems, the types of businesses and events He also explained that there is no distinction between size and scale. That would be an undue burden on businesses and events that want to provide small-scale entertainment. The Sacramento Night Economy Bureau is working with the Department of Arts and Culture on his LEP. See more of California's top news stories | Download the app.
Sacramento city leaders aim to make it easier for small venues and businesses to host live entertainment.
Currently, small businesses such as local pizza parlors and coffee shops must pay the same fees and follow the same permit applications and requirements as larger establishments. According to the Sacramento City Council's agenda, this could prevent small businesses from hosting simple events like karaoke or live musicians.
On Tuesday, city council members voted in favor of streamlining the process. The vote won't change anything immediately, but City Council has directed staff to submit an ordinance within six to eight weeks.
“Making it easier for small businesses to host entertainment will 'unlock the potential for art, music and creativity,'” Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a blog post from the City of Sacramento. “That's the Austin's and Nashville way. It's not just about having a big venue. Music is played at 10 locations around the city, so it's important to create a cool, hip atmosphere.”
The criteria for the proposed Limited Entertainment Permit (LEP) are as follows:
- Capacity: 299 people or less.
- Entertainment functions as a secondary operation (e.g., a restaurant featuring live music).
- Performance is limited to the designated area.
- Entertainment ends at 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends.
What qualifies as entertainment under the LEP are:
- musician
- band
- DJ
- dance performance
- comedy show
- karaoke
Why is it so difficult to host entertainment at small venues in Sacramento in the first place?
City council adopted an ordinance in 2003 to regulate entertainment for public health, safety and welfare reasons, according to city council resolution documents.
“Sacramento has had issues with out-of-area promoters who have failed to properly manage patrons, resulting in excessive noise and violence,” the document states. “There was also the issue of unmanageable crowds at warehouse events.”
The document also explains that while the ordinance works to regulate some of these issues, it does not differentiate between types or sizes of businesses or events. That would place an undue burden on businesses and events that want to provide small-scale entertainment.
Sacramento's Night Economy Bureau is working with the Department of Arts and Culture on LEP.
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