[sudo-discuss] [omni-discuss] finance-wg report back

Re: the technical, legal requirements for 'private events'.. seems worth repeating here - I mention only b/c I see these q's are being asked again, to several lists. Tbc I'm not saying the below is what omni has to do per se or in every case necessarily, just saying what the law is at least as it applies in Oakland, if that is helpful. Technically the term 'Private' here has to satisfy several non-obvious statutory and municipal requirements spread out amongst at least 3 different enforcing agencies that engage depending on the type of complaint, advertising, or city/state application being followed up on. For example, at a 'private' event in a commercial location, If alcohol is present in any way, there can be no charge, donation, or exchange (for tokens etc) - or, in the eyes of the state, it is automatically not a 'private' event anymore, it is technically a 'public' one -- even if there are only 2 people there and it was invite-only, gated at the door, etc. Or for ex., If the event is advertised in a way that could be construed 'public', i.e. it is publicly flyered, or it is not strictly invitation-only with the door gated and a real guest list, then the event is technically 'public', not private. An alternate to invite lists is, Private events can stay legally private if they are only attended by verifiable (at the door) members of an organization and their 'bona fide' guests. (And of course, you cannot just let anyone in iff the street) Whether public or private, absent being issued conditional use permit (CUP) to operate what is for us effectively a venue, any social function in a commercial space with 60+ ppl technically requires a one-off special event permit from the city by which I mean OPD, and by convention they only allow a small number per year per applicant depending on several factors.. (Small #, b/c if you hold a lot of events, then you are supposed to get a CUP instead). These special permits should be applied for 3 weeks in advance (if you are on good terms you can get them sooner), and dep. on the type & projected attendance of event + premises occupant load, it is very likely OPD can force you to hire a security firm bonded to do business in Oakland at a guard-to-attendee ratio of at least 1:50, with $7.50/hr/guard being a baseline last year, probably more now like $12/hr/guard. Also as of this year, for SEPs you need to prove the premises are officially cleared by Fire for assembly occupancy. I pre-paid for that last year while we were fixing things, and someone a little while ago told me that Spencer or another inspector (from BFP) came by in the last couple months and cleared the ballroom for us.. which is great and by the way, almost certainly a favor to us because they usually clear entire buildings if tenant spaces inside them are not properly separated by some fire-rated wall assembly which our building is def. not, and of course the rest of the building still needs compliance outlined in the first inspection.. etc. But anyway if true that is very good. Probably ppl reading this are like, 'what? I go to events/parties at xyz place, and they don't have to comply with this or that..' Indeed, my fellow skeptics, as you have guessed the reality on the ground (as the omni itself has in a way demonstrated over the last year by operating 'illegally') is that, many many places violate at least one, usually more of the above type of laws. For omni tbh any outstanding noncompliance has been mitigated in part by (at least during the first year) open dialogue with the city powers that be in terms of talking with planning dept, e.d., prepping for city applications, talking with neighbors & local businesses etc etc, which is a reason why they let us slide, ie are giving us (a lot of) time to be able to eventually do things the 'right' way. Again all I ain't saying this is what omni 'should' or shouldn't do, I am only saying what the letter of the law actually is with respect to events, parties etc and how I've noticed it's typically enforced. The truth is, the city lets unauthorized events go 90% of the time -- UNTIL there is a complaint, or, eventually, the owner/city/neighbors wants to evict. So Basically, IMO, these particular laws are used as a sort of cudgel when needed, and allows for easy selective enforcement (8pm bougie gallery opening? Hey, no problem, Drink away. Crusty 2am warehouse party? Nah you're busted, because you see, you broke xyz rule re: alcohol or you needed an SEP which now OPD will deny you b/ c there was a complain, etc.) So if omni doesn't follow these event-hosting 'rules', well fact is we are completely vulnerable to any official complaint. Im sorta (actually, not really) sure that we'd probably all prefer not to be sitting ducks in this way.. right? Well - anyhow, I at least think that could be a relief, to not have to worry about that. Because if a govt rule enforcer does come to investigate, and they aren't feeling charitable, well there are still so many freakin Use and safety violations that they won't have any problem citing us. The real bite of any such complaint and citation during this current time will still cruelly and profoundly impact any application we might later submit for a real permit, to operate a venue, which if we got one, we would be comparatively untouchable. All told, pragmatically speaking, complying with all the above constraints re trying to make as many events as possible legally 'private' is more than just a pain in the ass - IMO they are simply not practical or realistic for omni full stop, and this has been demonstrated I feel over omni's tenure of event-hosting this far. I mean I think our 'private events' have only legitimately complied a couple of times. If anyone is still reading this long-ass email, IMO, Omni needs to step beyond what was intended to be a temporary state and finally get our MCUP and a cabaret license to boot. Then, we don't have to worry so much about 'private' vs public, alcohol vs no, charging / not charging, or complaints - which can potentially at least presently shut any event down. So IMO, Mari, Robb, Yar & anyone else who may want to work on event production and/or booking, and wants to operate with the confidence of a legal, above-ground venue (not saying this is a must, but if you are down for this), I would approach the use permits again. Another thing is acquiring restaurant/tavern insurance (covers alcohol) and a Type 41 or 42 liquor license from ABC. Then we don't need to ask event-throwers to get their own event insurance every time as we are presently supposed to, which, tbh, is often an energy-draining rabbit hole of wasted time and expense for all concerned. Instead, we'd just compute our cost to the event renter's bill in a way that is fair and really help simplify the booking process. Our particular application for a CUP is rather complicated to say the least, and beyond anything I'll mention here, but it is essential in my view towards having a financially-sustaining omni. My time is pretty impacted these days unfo, but if anyone wants to talk more just lmk. Hugs, David On Friday, October 30, 2015, Laura Turiano &lt;scylla(a)riseup.net <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','scylla@riseup.net');>> wrote: