City of LA Sues Hollywood Restaurant That Illegally Operated as Strip Club

A former Hollywood nightclub was the subject of a city lawsuit after the establishment allegedly operated illegally as a strip club. The suit seeks $25,000 from Cashmere’s landlords, who allegedly fostered criminal activity such as homicide, rape, and prostitution at the club.

Patch reported on the lawsuit, which claims the landlords ignored a conditional-use permit and continued to operate as a strip club instead of a restaurant. They allegedly subleased the space to promoters, permitted drinks on the dance floor, allowed underage drinkers, and violated noise ordinances at 6757 W. Hollywood Boulevard address.

Cashmere’s problems began in 2015, when city councilman Mitch O’Farrell warned Hollywood club operators about violating their operating permits. The Los Angeles Times reported on the club’s issues, when Cashmere violated the city’s municipal code by conducting construction without permits.

The construction violation seems small in comparison to Cashmere’s recent activity. In 2015, a Cashmere DJ was beaten to death after a brawl. Cashmere’s intoxicated club goers would often engage in fights, according the Times article. And in a 2018 op-ed, the Los Angeles Times interviewed LAPD Hollywood Division captain Cory Palka, who suggested Hollywood’s homicide rates plunged for one reason only. “The decline of what I call neon club culture,” Palka said. “We closed three clubs in Hollywood that were a magnet for the urban crowd of South LA.” Those clubs were Cashmere, Cosmos, and Supper Club.

As public officials labeled Cashmere a public nuisance in 2015 and forced it to close in 2016. But the current suit is about recovering the $25,000 in abatement costs. The suit alleges that the city attorney told Cashmere’s landlords about the fine, but refused to pay.

• Hollywood Restaurant Operated As Strip Club, City Alleges [Hollywood Patch]
• Hollywood’s wild nightclub scene brings crackdown from city [LATimes]
• Man Fatally Stabbed in Ventura Restaurant While Daughter Sat in Lap [ELA]