Open Letter To Oakland City Council
Open Letter To Oakland City Council
Dear Oakland City Council:
I’m writing because I just heard Oakland-based small business owner, Chris Owen, on the San Francisco community-based, publicly/privately funded non-profit station KUSF, talk about his decision to move his annual Budget Rock festival from Oakland to San Francisco.
Last year’s Budget Rock festival, held at the Stork Club, repeatedly had sold out, spill-over crowds that brought both positive publicity to Oakland’s very vital music scene, as well as increased revenues for local bars, night clubs, record labels, bookers, and DJs. This year, however, Mr. Owen decided to move it over to SF because primarily because he wanted to make it a multi-venue festival (The Eagle, Thee Parkside, Bottom Of The Hill).
Many of us were saddened by Budget Rock’s decision (as we were saddened by the exodus of small local businesses to Emeryville, for instance), but we can’t exactly blame Mr. Owen. Although the “Budget Rock” philosophy is clearly more suited to Oakland than it is to San Francisco, as one of Oakland’s main attractions to the best and brightest talent is its affordability (compared to SF), we simply don’t have the commercial venues for it in Oakland. This is not for the lack of audience (as the success of non-commercial or semi-legal warehouse parties attest).The fate of the Stork & Eli’s Mile High Club is shaky at best, while The Uptown seems to be carving out a niche for itself as a middle-sized venue halfway between the Stork and The Fox (both in size, price, and the kind of bands that play there). A vital Oakland live music scene needs all three kinds of venues, as all appeal to distinct (though overlapping) audiences.
Although we are glad that the city helped foster the re-opening of the Fox theatre as a significant player in any cultural renaissance downtown Oakland will experience, an equally pressing need that City Council should address is proposals for removing some of the current obstacles in the way of allowing and encouraging more local businesspeople and promoters to establish smaller live/music venues (roughly the same size of the Stork Club) in the downtown Oakland.
Ideally, legislation will be considered that will:
- 1) remove zoning obstacles in granting cabaret licenses,
- 2) remove obstacles in granting small business loans
- 3) allocate federal stimulus funds to help create more jobs in the private sector local music business (to help level the playing field, so more money stays in Oakland rather than going across the bay, or, for that matter, to L.A), small business loans or start-up development grants.
- 4) grant legal status to the most vital local music venues currently operating semi-legally in Oakland
- 5) make performance permits more affordable, encourage local artist initiatives for ad-hoc public events.
We maintain that while it’s great that the shows at The Fox are actually drawing people from San Francisco and the suburbs into downtown Oakland, and putting some Oakland residents to work (including Hal Stevens’ Hotdog stand), even this by itself will not stimulate Oakland’s economy as much as my supplemental proposal does. Since many of the acts who play the Fox are neither local, or on locally-run labels or booking agencies, this increase SF consumer money is as quick to leave
Oakland as it is to arrive.
At the very least, we need to begin talking about ways to lure Budget Rock (and others like it) back to Oakland. There's an assumption that bringing back more legal nightlife venues will decrease property values; I maintain that, if done right (in ways responsive to locally grown scenes), it may increase property values without pricing people out (because it will also create more job opportunities, and decrease crime), and thus provide a more deeply grounded legitimate way out of the current fiscal crisis Oakland is currently facing.
- Chris Stroffolino's blog
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There's some rumblings of a new entertainment council that hopefully will address some of these issues. Hopefully. It would suck to lose the Stork Club.
Agreed in full. We need to lure more festivals like Budget Rock, not lose them to SF.
I went and spoke, along with 10 others, on behalf of the Oasis when that club was awaiting a decision to get their cabaret license back after having to bring their venue up to code. If I'm not mistaken, it took them several months and at least $40,000 to fulfill the City and Health Code requirements. And they were still going to have to operate for SIX months as a restaurant only, obtaining special event permits for any gig or party they wanted to do, and watched for good behavior, inside and outside of the club, before they would be granted their cabaret license back. Like I said, 10 of us came to speak on the issue, and the probationary period was overruled; they were granted their cabaret license that night, a positive and pleasant surprise for a great club that's been in existence for 16 years. (It's a shame that rock & roll promoters, DJs and bands don't approach them to do shows, their patio RULES and there are virtually no neighbors to complain. Fish and Dave are super friendly guys, go down and talk to them.)
But, while hearing the details of the beaurocratic methods that were engaged through this (Oasis) case, I realized 2 things: A) It's amazing that there are any bars (that have shows) in Oakland still operating at all, let alone the Stork. It is no wonder that bands seek the underground refuge of warehouses and houseparties or cross the bridge to play above-the-ground shows in SF, an increasingly self-ingraining habit worn deep over years of East Bay venues opening and closing. Leaving the Stork, for all the garage, punk, metal and whatever fringe acts that may care to play here. So, a lot of people have begun to say "Why play at the Stork, anyway?" You see the cycle. B) If you put something in writing and bring it to City Hall and ask questions to find out how you can have a direct conversation with the city about things like this, you'll be afforded the opportunity. In other words, shit can change.
In his letter, Chris has brought up the most important point, commerce. This is more important to Oakland bands than they realize, and this essay succinctly states why in its questioning. I'd like to commend him on his insightfulness and his effectiveness in articulating what is the most important discussion bewteen the rock & roll community and Oakland City government. Let's put a motion on the floor, Stroff.
I, too, was saddened about the relocation of Budget Rock, but it never didn't make sense to me. I'm glad Chris Owen had it here in Oakland for as long as he did. He's a pioneer.
Willis Stork
We all need to get down for the fun of it. Meetings, creek clean ups and rock 'n' roll all go together. It makes for great times. Keep up the good work. see ya' on the streets.
Emmett Cadigan
Thanks for commenting, Emmett, music makes everything better.
Chris,
I think this is a very important issue that is part of the larger problem of an anti-fun sentiment within city leadership.
Realistically, of your suggestions, only numbers 1 and 5 are immediately feasible. Number 4 could happen, to a degree, but it'll take a hell of a lot of work.
The City Council's Public Safety Committee meets at City Hall on Tuesday at 4pm. I'd like to get a bunch of people to come down and show support for reasonable, pro-fun reforms. I'll be sending out a blast about it shortly. Keep an eye out.
@Anonymous fun supporter-Could you shoot me a copy of that blast as well? I'm interested in how the nightlife scene is emerging (or not) in downtown.