Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-11-08
BOARD MAY RESCIND
DECATUR BAR ACTION
TRUSTEES ARE SAID TO BE
ALARMED
Public Indignation Expected to Force
Law Makers to Back Up and
Proceed in More Leisure
ly Manner
IspecIal to The Hernld.l

OCEAN PARK, Nov. THAT the
agitation following the granting of a
retail liquor license to the Hotel De-
catur bar so hurriedly by the city board
of trustees Thursday night has had
its effect was proved today when it was
announced the board at it's regular
meeting tomorrow night will rescind Its
previous action and grant the license
in more leisurely way. A member of
the board said that one of the trustees
who voted in favor of the Decatur
license will probably make motion 20
reconsider all action taken at the
Thursday night meeting, which in
cluded the awarding of two paving con-
tracts, as the fear is said to have taken
possession of the trustees who voted
for the measures that the nights pro-
ceedings were irregular. This has re-
suited from the charge made by Trus-
tees Griffith and Foster that the
Thursday night meeting was called and
adjourned previous to the time specified
by ordinance.
Trustee Griffith emphatically stated
today that the meeting in question was
called no later than 7:15 o'clock, as he
said the meeting was in session when
he and Trustee Foster arrived several
minutes previous to 1880 o'clock. This
statement he said, would be corrobo-
rated by all those present at the time
if they were called on to do so.
Considers Action Irregular
One of the very first ordinances
adopted by the board of trustees when
Ocean Park was incorporated as a city
of the sixth class provided that all
regular meetings Of the board be held
at 1880 o'clock Monday night of each
week. The board met at the regular
time last Monday night and adjourned
sine die. A meeting was held the fol-
lowing night when the business left
over by the exceedingly short session of
Monday night was disposed Of Then
the board adjourned, according to the
motion of Trustee MacKinnon, ito
meet next Thursday night" No hour
was specified.
Trustee Griffith. looking at the action
ofthe board from an official stand
point, said today:
II consider the boards action in
granting the Decatur bar license last
Thursday night very irregular, because
of the time at which the meeting was
called to order. 1t is useless to object
to granting a license, as a minority on
the board has little chance of accom-
plishing much. 1t has been understood
all along that Ocean Park is to have
two saloons and although 1 vote
against them always l cannot alone
wipe them out. But I do insist that
liquor license, If granted at all, be
granted in the regular way, and con-
slider that those who had to do with
the action of the board the other night
certainly acted wrongly"
Public Indignation High
Decatur bar license and the various
questions pertaining to it were still the
subject of conversation on the part of
citizens today. 1t was suggested that a
public meeting be held and Trustees
Eakins, MacKinnon and Mayer, who
We're present at the time the license
was issued should be called on to ex-
plain their hasty action, as well as the
cause of so many meetings in one week
apparently for THe sole purpose of dis
posing of the license question. 1t was
held by some that there was no real
need of rushing the measure through.
When T o. Evans met with a refusal
of his application to reissue him a re-
tail liquor license for the Decatur bar
he arranged to sell his lease and fur
nishings of the Hotel Decatur, as with
out the bar he did not consider the
hotel would pay him sufficient to hold
it longer. With his partner, Grassy,
Evans has operated the hotel success
fully since it was opened about four
years ago in connection with the bar
be the best paying place of the kind on
the beach.
Hotel and Bar Sold
The sale of the hotel lease, which in
cludes the saloon, was conditioned on
Evans furnishing ]. B. Doty and F. l..
Stineman, the purchasers, a retail
license with the bar. The price agreed
on for the lease and furnishings was
$4,000 in cash. This amount, together
with the lease, was placed in escrow in
Ocean Park bank a few days ago, ac-
cording to the city trustees.
The series Of board meetings followed
this in rapid succession, ending with
the granting of the license to Doty e.
Stineman. In a short time afterward
the deal was consummated and the
money paid over to Evans. The Deca-
tur bar was in operation Friday
Evans and his crowd had no right
to bring the pressure of an impending
sale of this kind to bear on the board
of trustees to force the ISSUE" de-
clared Trustee Foster today.