HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/19/2003 - STAFF REPORTS (16) DATE: February 19, 2003
TO: City Council
FROM: Director, Department of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
2003 AMERICAN HEAT BIKE WEEKEND
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council consider adopting a resolution suspending certain
regulatory ordinances to allow the 2003 American Heat Bike Weekend to occur
in the Central Business District from October 17 through October 19.
SUMMARY:
In October 2000 and 2001, Road Shows, Inc. (RSI) produced the Palm Springs
Bike & Hot Rod Weekend along Palm Canyon Drive in the Central Business
District. All costs incurred by the City for event production in previous years
were paid in full by the event promoter. RSI proposed to produce a similar event
in October 2002 but was not granted approval by City Council to do so because
of public safety concerns stemming from a similar, but unrelated,event last year
in Laughlin, Nevada. RSI has now approached the City regarding production of
the event for 2003 and has indicated there have been no further violent
incidents at other area events since the one in Laughlin last year. If the City
Council wishes to facilitate the 2003 event, certain regulatory ordinances that
would normally impede such an activity will need to be temporarily suspended.
BACKGROUND:
On March 21, 2001, City Council adopted Resolution No. 20008 suspending
certain regulatory ordinances to allow RSI to produce the last Palm Springs
Motorcycle & Hot Rod Weekend at its sole expense. The event occurred on
Palm Canyon Drive as planned. It was determined by many business owners,
attendees and event participants to be highly successful and a financial windfall
to the City in that it generated in excess of$1 million in business and tax-related
revenue, having had 40,000 people attend over the weekend. These financial
statistics were presented to the City Council and the public during a Study
Session post-event review.
In the spring of 2002, there was a violent incident at an unrelated bike weekend
in Laughlin, Nevada that resulted in the death of several individuals. The
incident involved a shooting between rival motorcycle groups although it
occurred outside of the event venue in a local casino. As a result of this
incident,the Main Street Board and City Council requested that the event be re-
evaluated. Concerns regarding the tragic incident in Laughlin and ways to
prevent a similar incident from occurring in Palm Springs were discussed with
the promoter. However, after considerable discussion, Main Street and City
Council asked the Police Department for its suggestions and recommendations.
After receiving the information from the Police Departmentthat the event was
too risky and a potential"powder keg"for future violence, City Council decided
16A
2003 AMERICAN HEAT BIKE WEEKEND
DATE: February 19, 2003
PAGE: Two
not to grant approval of this event for 2002 for public safety-related concerns
and allow time to evaluate comparable events to see if there was any pattern
of violence at motorcycle events or if the event in Laughlin was simply an
isolated incident. RSI has now approached the City regarding production of the
event for 2003 and has indicated there have been no further violent incidents
at other area events since the one in Laughlin last year.
The Special Events Planning Team (SEPT) has discussed the event and
supports the promoter in his desire to produce the event this year.The promoter
of American Heat has demonstrated in the past his ability to produce a quality
event and bring in needed TOT dollars.
The event promoter made a presentation to the Main Street Board on
February 6.Aftersome discussion, the board members unanimously endorsed
the event for 2003 as long as the promoter agreed to work with Jerry Ogburn
regarding their list of concerns developed in the post-event review in 2001. The
promoter agreed to work with Mr. Ogburn on these issues and felt that all of
Main Street's previous concerns could be addressed.
It should also be noted that Ed Svitak of the Palm Springs Hospitality
Association addressed the Main Street Board at the meeting and indicated that
his group unanimously supports the 2003 American Heat event.
If the City Council wishes to facilitate this event, certain regulatory ordinances
that would normally impede the conduct of such an event will need to be
temporarily suspended. Specifically, the City Council will need to temporarily
suspend the Sign Ordinance, Zoning Ordinance and Noise Ordinance during
the event. As was the case in previous years, the promoter has agreed to work
with the City in mitigating noise and safety concerns through the implementation
of strict controls on motorcycle traffic in residential areas through an aggressive
pre-event promotional campaign with local hoteliers, business owners, residents
and attendees. In addition to implementing an aggressive campaign prior to the
event, the promoter will use a combination of traffic signs and security
checkpoints at designated locations to discourage motorcycle traffic and reduce
neighborhood noise impacts. Furthermore, for safety concerns, the promoter
has committed to pay for additional police and security personnel to monitor the
event.
The promoter is not requesting that the City pay any event production costs.
The City will invoice him for actual costs immediately following the event and will
request a good-faith down payment of estimated costs in advance.
The promoter is requesting a three-day closure on Palm Canyon Drive from
Alejo Road to Bansto Road and certain portions of Arenas Road, Tahquitz
Canyon Way, Andreas Road, and Amado Road between Belardo and Indian
Canyon Way from noon on Friday, October 17, to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday,
October 19.
/8,44-
2003 AMERICAN HEAT BIKE WEEKEND
DATE: February 19, 2003
PAGE: Three
Palm Springs Tourism's hotel reservations phone number will be listed in all
promotional materials.
Three beer gardens are planned for the event. The proposed locations would
be Tahquitz Canyon Way and Palm Canyon Drive for the Lions Club, the City
parking lot near the Blue Coyote Restaurant,and the parking lot by the Henry
FrankArcade.The final locations for all beer gardens and vendor booths will be
coordinated with Main Street's representative, Jerry Ogburn.
Parks Division and the promoter's staff will handle trash pickup. Three 30-yard
dumpsters will be placed in the Henry Frank Arcade parking lot.
The Showmobile may be used for staging; this is to be determined.
All of these efforts, in addition to a more aggressive event promotional effort by
RSI, are being targeted to improve upon previous events and make them more
enjoyable, profitable and entertaining for the entire community.
At the February 13 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the promoter
made his presentation, with the commission's action being reported to the City
Council at this meeting.
-
SCOTT MIKESELL, Director
Department of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
APPROVED
City Manager r'
ATTACHMENT:
1 Resolution
Feb 18 03 11 : 19a p. 2
FEB. 17, 03
1
FROM: MATHEW TALALA
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
RE: THE RETURN OF BIKE WEEKEND
FAX TO; TROY-323-8207
I 'THINK BIKE WEEKEND IS VITAL TO OUR ECONOMY.
SINCE THE CHIEF OF POLICE IS UP TO THE
CHALLENGE OF HANDLING ANOTHER BIKE WEEKEND, I
THINK IT IS THE DUTY OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO KEEP
THE BALANCE BETWEEN BUSINESS AND SAFETY.
DOWN VALLEY HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE
COMPETITIVE; AND SINCE WE ARE THE CITY THAT
SPECIALIZES IN THE DOWNTOWN THAT OFFERS ART
AND ENTERTAINMENT, THEN WE BETTER KEEP OUR
EVENTS AND ADD TO THEM, RATHER THAN LOSING ANY
OF THEM.
PLEASE DO NOT DENY THE PLANNERS AND THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE PUTTING ON THIS WEEKEND. THE
GROWTH OF FACING A CHALLENGE, LET US MEET THE
CHALLENGE AND MAKE IT WORK.
THANK YOU,
MAT IEW TALALA
d&?Ig
Dr. Diane Ross
1555 S. Sagebrush Road
Palm Springs, CA 92264
February 18, 2003
Mayor and City Council Members
3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way
Palm Springs, CA 92264
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
In case you didn't see the attached article from Vanity Fair, February, 2003, I thought the
information might be helpful to you as you address this issue again this year. The current
editor of Vanity Fair appears to make sure that articles are well researched, fair and well
written.
It is for your information that I share this article with you.
Sincerely,
Diane Ross
p)760.320.5013 a-mail diane.ross@verizon.net
� 1
UNEASY RIDERS 'The Hell's Angels mystique has come
roaring back, with memoirs by
key members now in bookstores, and
• a big-budget movie in the works.
But their roadhouse rule is threatened by
the Mongols and other rival clubs }
"C looking to make a name for themselves. s
Have the Angels gotten too
soft to win a bloody biker war?
BY STEVE GARBARINO
Throughout the 1960s and into the 70s, the Hell's Angels
Motorcycle Club ruled America's highways, alleys, and roadhouses.
A black-sheep counterpoint to the hippie movement,the Heirs An-
gels instilled fear in anyone who crossed their path. The rumble of
their custom-rigged Harley-Davidsons was considered a precursor to
murder, rape, plunder, drugs, booze, perhaps even some baying at
_ the moon. Lock up your daughters:the Heirs Angels are in town.
Like Forrest Gumps gone bad,they seemed to pop up wherever
,anything significant was happening, from the infamous concert at
Altamont to Ken Kesey's ranch and the pages of Tom Wolfe's Elec-
tric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Then,like the Black Panthers, love-ins, and
patchouli, they all but vanished, as if absorbed by the culture they
had once terrorized. Harley-Davidson Caf6, anyone?
Up until very recently,the Hell's Angels seemed toothless,almost
quaint. But all outlaws must have a final run, and the Hell's Angels
r seem to be having theirs now. In the past year, the fabled motorcy-
cle club—which was formed in San Bernardino, California, in 1948
by a group of bored World War II air-squadron veterans—has been
- a making a brutal comeback.Angels have been arrested for fatal shoot-
ings, stabbings, firebombings, beatings, riots, drug distribution and
- possession,rapes,and racketeering. Investigators have deemed near-
ly every arrest to be part of an escalating turf war between the Heirs
Angels and rival outfits such as the Pagans, the Outlaws,
BORN TO RIIE the Bandidos,and the Los Angeles—based Mongols.
Hell's Angels roll into While flexing their muscle in the streets, the Hell's An-
town for the�nnvuol 1,�
gels are also reasserting themselves in the culture at large.
Hollister Independence . Hollywood, always on the lookout for a good sequel,is all
Rally in Holliv.,er, ., over them, as is the book-publishing world. Three Hell's
Angels memoirs and a coffee-table book are now in book-
stores. Director Tony Scott, of Top Gun fame, has signed
- on to make a big-budget outlaw-biker film, and many Hell's Angels
have Screen Actors Guild cards.They're special guests at chic Hamp-
tons parties and intimates of celebrities who provide blurbs for their
book jackets.
- In the years leading up to the recent outbreak of arrests and
killings, many Hell's Angels members were finding time for garden-
w ing and golf while sending their kids to college. "Mellowing" is how
several Angels describe what was happening. "Getting old"might be
VAN IrY FAIR 199
LETTER FROM THE ROA
another way of putting it. But as they were police officer asks, "Expecting any trouble Barger—and he seems to like it that way.
settling back,priding themselves on being, from the Mongols?" Barger is something of a celebrity. He
as one member puts it, "the top of the Cisco leans into the passenger window. was the levelheaded antihero of Hunters.
food chain" in the outlaw world, other "Naw," he says in his rusted radiator of a Thompson's seminal 1966 book,HeIN An-
bikers started gunning for them. And so, voice. His shoulder-length black hair,part- gels:A Strange and Terrihle Saga, and a ma-
over the last year, the Hell's Angels have ed in the middle, falls into his face. jor character in David and Albert Mayste's
been re-emerging from their used-parts "I heard a Mongol lives around here," Gimme Shelter, the documentary of the -
shops and tattoo parlors like grizzlies com- says the policeman. Rolling Stones'Altamont concert in 1969,
ing out of hibernation. "I wouldn't know," says Cisco, taking where the Angels provided security. (With
Are they still tough enough? Does a out his new cellular phone. He asks the its four deaths,Altamont was a grim reply
bear spit in the woods? cop to help him figure it out; they start to the Woodstock concert earlier that year.)
tinkering with it. At the time of Cisco's End of Summer
0 n the evening of the annual End of The Mongols are a mostly Hispanic Party, Barger is on a publicity tour, pro-
Summer Party,held at the clubhouse L.A.-based motorcycle club that has lately moting his second book,Ridin'High,Livin'
of the Hell's Angels' Oakland chap- been brawling with the Angels. The two Free(Morrow),a collection of essays.
ter—one of the oldest and most notorious factions clashed last April at a Harrah's Cisco has no book plans, but he has
of their strongholds—men in flannel shirts, casino in Nevada.When the dust cleared, acted in films,such as Bram Stokers Drac-
_ three Mongols were dead. ula, and counts himself a close friend of
.,I Shortly thereafter, one An- motorcycle enthusiast and actor Mickey
gel was fatally shot off his Rourke's. He owns a movie-set-and-prop
Harley-Davidson in the Cali- company, but his main occupation is the
forma desert.There have been Angels. When Cisco is informed that the
"YOU HAVE AN ORGANIZATION
THAT, BY ITS VERY ESSENCE
AND CORE, AUTHORIZES KIDNAPPING,
u BEATINGS, EXTORTION, ROBBERY."
I
photographer accompanying me to the
B � �?
--�,, party is actress Lisa Marie, who played
Vampira in Tim Burton's Ed Wood, he
takes a trip down memory lane: "Man, I
used i o jack off to Vampira on her old TV
show She was so fucking hot"
By it P.M., the number of choppers
• it n;, parked outside the clubhouse has in-
creased to roughly 500. Police cars cruise
;HOW K by at regular intervals. Cisco is every-
denim jackets, and black leather N LNONrJA�►E(HALL where—"politicizing," as he calls it. Mem-
vests are lugging beer kegs the size ,.., A bets of the Devi] Dolls, an all-girl biker
of their barrel-like chests. In the ...... club, show up on their choppers.
back courtyard several members are Inside, the liquor is flowing at last.
taking hits of nitrous oxide. The Angels no arrests in either case. Numerous post- About 600 revelers move through the
enjoy the "helium high" they get from ings on the Hell's Angels Web site (www. rooms. Perhaps only 150 men in the
sucking on balloons filled with the gas—a hells-angels.com) have claimed a Mongol throng are wearing the Hells Angels "col-
given at every party. was responsible. ors." The Angels never talk about num-
The sky is a dreamy pink and blue, a The young cop tries to ease Cisco back bers. When asked how many their ranks
contrast to this bleak stretch of Oakland to the topic of the Mongols, saying, "Is it include,they like to say, "Enough."As one
macadam on Foothill Boulevard where, just hype created by the media?" member puts it, "It's for the police to find i
a few blocks from Angels headquarters, "I dunno," says Cisco. out and us to know. They get paid to
crack dealers do business. The clubhouse The officer drives off. Cisco returns to watch us have a good time." Police have li
is dead center in a poor black neighbor- his perch.The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" placed the number at 10,000. The figure
hood of housing projects. plays inside. Nobody is drinking alcohol is likely closer to 20,000,not counting An-
A police car pulls up in front of the club- yet, despite the Angels' reputation for her- gels chapters in Argentina,Denmark,South
house, where roughly 80 flame-painted culean partying. In fact, many of the club Africa, Australia, Bohemia, Liechtenstein,
Harley-Davidson choppers and three- members don't drink at all,including Cis- Italy, and Greece, to name a few. You'll
wheeled custom motorcycles are lined up. co,whose real name is Elliot Valderrama. know it,though, if you're in the.presence
Cisco,the longtime president of the Oak- An East L.A.—raised Filipino with a Fu of Angels.They usually wear their patches. j
land chapter,rises from a chair outside the Manchu, Cisco is not as well known as On the clubhouse's dance floor, a
entrance and walks over to the car, the original Oakland-chapter president— rhythm-and-blues band is playing "Cale-
Stniling,avoiding eye contact,the young convict turned memoirist Ralph "Sonny" donia," and couples are doing the Hell's
100 VANITY FAIR FEB R UA RY 2003
LETTER FROM THE ROADR
Angels shuffle, picked up from Grateful out in the courtyard later in the evening. Rules were laid down: RAMC (Hell's
Dead concerts of yore.Most of the action A short-haired,jolly-faced Angel in Angels Motorcycle Club) could not be re-
is taking place in the adjoining standing- his early 40s, who has been manning the ferred to as a "gang."No Mongols or oth-
room-only Wall of Shame room, where nitrous-oxide tanks, is showing wear, per- er "motorcycle club" members could be
snug shots of current and deceased mein- haps from sucking down one balloon too interviewed for the story. No tape record-
hers line the walls and two women, thin- many.When a middle-aged mama pushes ers. Notepads occasionally. After a half-
lipped and unsmiling, in G-strings,writhe through the crowd to get to the tank,this dozen "observational"trips to Oakland,I
in a steel cage to AC/DC's "You Shook jolly-faced Angel lashes out. His fist con- was permitted to take notes and bring a
Me All Night Long." Revelers stick bills nects with her face—twice. The mama photographer.
between the dancers'butt cheeks and cheer flies back into the crowd. "I said,Get back,
them on. No HeTs Angels members are woman!"he says. rrom his Upper East Side apartment,
participating in this, as if it would be A non-Angel who tries to intervene Tom Wolfe describes his first encounter
somehow undignified. The middle-aged gets slammed in the face. It happens so r with the outlaw club. "The Hell's An-
"mamas" seem to be into it more than quickly. And then it's over. When anoth- gels were giving the only public party they
er Angel tells him of the inci- had ever sponsored," he says. "It was in
rI � ',rysti dent, Cisco looks disappoint- the Hai ht-Ashbur at a Czech social club.
PP g y
ed. "Man,that isn't cool," he There was a tremendous lineup of chopped
says, shaking his head. "I'm hogs outside. I went in and my hand was
"I WENT UP TO A GUY FROM
THE SATAN S SLAVES AND ASKED HIM,
r�� >Y � 'HAVE YOU SEEN KESEY?' AND HE
:` SAID, 'YOU SAY I'M KIND OF GREASY?"'
stamped with `When We Do Right, No
GIMME SHELTER
One Remembers, When We Do Wrong,
Writer Ken Kesey No One Forgets.' Ken Kesey was sup-
San Francisco,circa 1966.Right, posed to be there with some of the Merry
Mick Jagger and Mick Taylor during the
Pranksters. I went up to a guy from the
Rolling Stones'Altamont concert,
Livermore,California,December 6,1969. Satan's Slaves and asked him, `Have you
seen Kesey?' And he said, `You say I'm
kind of greasy?' And I said, `You misun-
anyone else in the crowd. Spurred on P derstand. I mean the writer.'And he said,
by boyfriends and husbands,two in `You say you're kind of a fighter?'I kind of
mas climb into the cage and start to walked sideways away from the guy.I was
mg the crowd. "Get it! Get it!"somebodygoing to have to to wearing a suit,but no necktiere was
one nod
et very bus with the dancers,rous- " `
g g talk to him." He heads toward disrespectabdity. There was akiss-
yells. One stripper seems to feign orgasm. toward the courtyard. ing booth,holding the most big-ass,hairiest
Later,two good-looking young women, At 1:30 A.M., there's a raffle. Cisco is Hell's Angel I've ever seen in my life."
Tina and Heather, stand near the nitrous- the M.C. I look around the room. A se- Wolfe's encounters with the tribe oc-
oxide tanks, holding balloons. Tina is nior Angel is asleep by the wall, perhaps curred in 1966.Lately,they have been win-
wearing a white tank top that displays her dreaming of roadkill on a spit. I see peg ning back their bad reputation.
tattoo "sleeves." She has a black Cleopa- legs, prosthetic hands, ears with missing It began in late February of 2002, at a
tra haircut and eyeglasses. Heather, who lobes, and fake eyeballs. motorcycle-and-tattoo exposition sponsored
looks like the actress Parker Posey except by the Hell's Angels and held in a Long Is-
for the vinyl pants and biker boots, says, T o get past the doors of a Hell's Angels land catering hall.Ten vanloads of rival Pa-
"These guys are our knights in shining I clubhouse is an arduous task. You gans rolled up.Pagans,who consider Long
mes armor." She explains that she co from must have an in.For me,it was Mickey Island their turf, forced their way inside.
a "stereotypically snobbish East Coast Rourke,who advised me not to even think One Pagan was fatally shot and 10 others
family. I grew up as the princess, and I about writing a story. He knows the An- were wounded as 1,000 people—including
still have that lifestyle." I mention that gels from various films. "It's a lose-lose women and children—fled.Five bikers were
some Angels have been known to "gang- situation," said Rourke. "If you write just shot, five were stabbed, and two suffered
bang" strangers and have gone to prison one thing that disrespects the club,you will heart attacks during the attack. (The Hell's
on rape and sexual-assault charges. "That get a major-league ass-kicking." Angels' cholesterol levels must boggle the
was the 60s—that's in the past," Heather The Angels gave me permission to visit mind.)Seventy-five bikers were arrested— u
says. She turns out to be the girlfriend of the clubhouse and asked me to give my 73 Pagans and two Hell's Angels, one of
a Hell's Angels chapter president. We pitch in front of a dozen senior members. whom was a suspect in the shooting, The
move on. There were guacamole and chips on a arresting officers had to link together three
There is an almost chivalrous level of re- coffee table. Not one Angel was drinking. sets of handcuffs to restrain the hands of
spect shown by the Angels to any woman A young prospect was handing out bottles the beefier suspects.
at the party.That is,until an incident breaks of springwater. Less than a month later, a South Phil- °
102 VANITY FAIR FE BR UA RY 2003
• •M
adelphia tattoo parlor owned by a Pagan courage the Angels from establishing a Raising the Standard of
leader was firebombed. No one was in- Maryland chapter.Police arrested a mem Luxtu-N,in the Caribbean
-
jured. Police believe it was destroyed in ber of the Pagans who was found with a
retaliation for the Long Island fracas. loaded.25-caliber handgun in his left boot.
In Toronto, a top Hell's Angels member On June 9,a Helps Angels member was °' I
-out fatally shot in Cave Creek,Arizona,while
was killed five days later in a shoot ,.t.
with police. He was part of the Nomads, sitting outside the Coyote Wild Bar&Grill.
an elite Hell's Angels unit whose members Police believe it might have been related to •+'.F r
travel the country looking to open new the Mongols-Angels turf battle.
chapters. Nine days later, in Montreal, a On June 29,near Laconia,New Hamp- _
close associate of the Hell's Angels' was shire, two Helps Angels prospects were I a meaoo=aanhew�wteaor=rloelv�gt�ePdrale=e�e
shot three times while dining in a sushi shot from behind while on their bikes. ,r heat es.RoyalPlmhHcnGelfRrsmt&spaiathe,dLimate
restaurant. It was a drive-by attack. Two Miraculously,both men drove themselves all-inclusive getaway for the world's most discernin 'I
men with ties to the rival Bandidos gang to the hospital,where they were treated for eravelera•Enloy golf,2 gourmet v=etaueante,ah=
grill,24-hoar ran.serene,heaoh finder sew,ee,and a
were arrested for that one. their wounds.No suspects were arrested. European spa`Royal Plantation...in a class all its own.
'
Also in March,in Ventura County,Cali- And in Laconia, on June 30, police
forma,national Hell's Angels leader George questioned several Hell's Angels after the
Christie Jr, agreed to a plea bargain on beating of a man at Weirs Beach. The ROYAL PLANTATION
drug and false-tax-return charges. The victim has not filed a complaint. Police -
remainder of the charges were dropped. believe the man had made remarks to the cocr RESORTs,SPA
The original charges alleged that,through bikers, by Beaches
Call your Tray Annear [u,a0-BEACHES
his tattoo parlor, Christie had sold stolen The next day, in Minnesota, a Hell's !, vslrawveas,.ea=.vvv.n�ch=s.=om
'Addu IBynnandoldea.'Spa¢rvim aJdiu&s1
prescription drugs.The investigation took Angel was charged with raping and kid- cu sev"Adaa.toe,am..•dddid.rvpry ..o eds.usl �,oa<.
five years and resulted in a 132-count in- napping a 25-year-old woman.The woman A r,svlrEs •ALL ae c'Axv„i ew '
dichnent. With a grand jury hearing that alleged that she was raped twice at the
lasted eight months,the case cost taxpayers Angels clubhouse after she was given a '- e
as much as$1.5 million.Christie faced sev- "special drink" that left her"partly para- h
en years in prison and got off with three lyzed."The charges were later dropped.
years' probation. Also in Minnesota, police charged the u _ -
same man with laundering money from a
In Laughlin,Nevada,in April,three bik- drug-distribution ring. Court papers said -.
ers were killed and a dozen were in- the Angel and his wife conspired to dis- `
jured in a Helps Angels-Mongols brawl tribute methamphetamine and cocaine. ^y
at a Harrah's casino during an annual mo. On November 26, when George Chris- VANITY FAIR AGENDA V /
torcycle rally called the River Ride.About tie Jr. filed a claim against the Ventura ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION • m
500 people were held for questioning. A County Fair for its refusal to let club mem- EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
videotape that the police now have shows bers on the grounds while wearing their
a Hell's Angel shooting one of the Mon- colors last summer—a violation of the fair's
gols to death. dress code,which forbade "gang" attire— D
About an hour after the brawl, a 28- Christie argued that the Hell's Angels are
year-old Hell's Angels member was shot not a gang but a motorcycle enthusiasts'
from behind as he was riding near Lud- group.
low, California. Police have made no ar- On September 19,Raymond Dwyer,the
rests in the case. Angel on trial for killing a Pagan member
In the ongoing nationwide mayhem, at the catering-hall shoot-out on Long Is-
sevenJul
Hell's Angels were busted in raids land last February,was acquitted of mur-
on Long Island clubhouses and their der and convicted on a lesser,third-degree INSTANT ATTRACTION
homes in May, in conjunction with the weapon-possession charge. Dwyer had Who says you can't bottle
beating and robbery of a Fortner member. been facing up to 130 years in prison.The attraction? Capture the sizzle
Investigators seized financial records, a court ultimately decided he had killed the of that first spark with Instant
machine gun,Shotguns, $130,000 in cash, Pagan in self-defense. Attraction, the hard-to-resist
as well as other paraphernalia,including a "God bless the United States of Amer- color collection from Revlon.
massive steel "death's head." The victim ica and God bless the Helps Angels Mo- And now for a limited time,
was robbed of his jewelry, and had his torcycle Club," said Dwyer in a written buy any two full-sae Revlon
tattoos inked over inside a Hell's Angels statement. color cosmetic products and
clubhouse. receive a truly irresistible
That same month,Montreal Hell's An- he Hell's Angels like to compare them- gift—a three-month sub-
gels leader Maurice "Mom" Boucher was T selves to other fraternal organizations scription to one of eight great
found guilty of first-degree murder in the such as the Elks and the Rotary Club. magazines...such as this one.
1997 deaths of two prison guards and of They say they're just a group of men who
the attempted murder of a third. happen to share an interest in motorcy- For details, visit the Revlon
On May 30, in Calvert County, Mary- cles. Some chapters raise money for un- section at your favorite retailer
land, two Hell's Angels prospects and a derprivileged children and hold holiday or visit www.revlo'n.com.
bystander were injured outside a bar, the toy drives.George Christie Jr.,for one,runs REV ^N"
Oasis,in a drive-by shooting. Police believe a martial-arts class for delinquent kids; he
the shots might have been meant to dis- even carried the torch for the Los Angeles
FE B R UA RY 2003 VANITY FAIR 105
Olympics in 1984. In the process of re- in the Bay Area,concedes that the group's there's often one "Joe Schmo" in any giv-
porting this story, I heard a dozen tales of chapter presidents are "uniformly smart. en chapter who "sells his drugs and keeps
good deeds from those who have been Many are book-smart and people-smart" his money and spends it on himself. And
helped by the Angels. One thankful wom- And he agrees with the Angels who say then we all suffer from it. We get that sGg-
an told of Angels'taking her to the hospi- the press hasn't always done right by ma that we're all into it.The reality is,we 6
tal after a bicycle fall;a man spoke of An- them. "They haven't had good expel- don't make money for the club, and the ]
gels' repairing his broken-down car on a ences with the media," he says. "People club doesn't make money for us. I'm not
highway at night. focus on the negative points, rather than going to deny that there have been people
Law-enforcement officials certainly don't their significance to modern culture." in the club who have sold drugs.But when I
go along with this view.J.P. Wilson, a de- McKinley came away from his years they get caught, it's the Hell's Angels, not
tective based in Phoenix, said the Angels among the Angels with some sympathy Joe Schmo,who are blamed."
are now involved in an"official war." "It's for them. "An unholy percentage of them But if one Angel gets in trouble with
virtually everyone against the Hell's An- were abused as children, their mothers the law—or if an Angel is attacked by an
gels,"he said,"and they're feeling the pres- abandoned them—which can be devastat- outsider—it is the duty of his fellow An-
sure." He stated that the Vagos, the Ban- ing to an individual," he says. "One guy gels to bail him out or take revenge.That's
didos, the Pagans, the Outlaws, and the was locked in a closet by his uncle and their code. "Wouldn't you do that for j
Mongols have banded together to close became deathly afraid of spiders due your brother," asks Cisco, "even if he was
the Angels' doors for good. to it. It's a survival instinct. And now at fault?"
Tim McKinley, a recently retired F.B.I. they're being experimented on by the me-
agent based on the West Coast, investi- dia again. Unfortunately, it's like mixing ther misconceptions: As for the old
gated the Hell's Angels for 20 years. "Some gasoline with a match, which, as a com- O days in which the saying "Let's go
mon rule, isn't good." make a mama" was uttered without
In his dealings with a thought, the Angels claim that many
HIS FIST CONNECTS WITH the Angels, McKinley women who have charged them with rape
says, he found them to were consenting in their actions. Members
HER FACE-TWICE. THE MAMA FLIES be a lot like the people claim they attract women,who get drunk,
who are trying to put agree to have sex, often with multiple part-
u them in jail. "I found ners, and then regret it. In his memoir,
BACK INTO THE CROWD. I SAIDI it jarringly hard to ac- Hell's Angel, Barger writes, "Women. Old
GET BACK WOMAN!" HE SAYS. knowledge that listen- ladies. Babes. Chicks. Can't live without
ing to them at either them,can't use their bones for soup."Fem-
their clubhouse or a inists will never appreciate the Angels.
party was like listening To earn your "red wings" means that you
would say that they are not all convicted to a law-enforcement party, with the ex- have "eaten a girl on her period."To earn
felons—and that's true," he says. "And ception of the presence of drugs," he says. your "black wings" is to have been with
some would say that not all are involved "And some of the Angels' taste in music "a black girl."
in criminal activity—which I would say is is a lot better." "The main thing is, you don't wanna
nonsense. Let's remember that this is the And the renewed presence of the Hell's fuckin'touch somebody else's girlfriend or
Hell's Angels. Back in the mid-to latter Angels,he says,is a fact:"Like never before, wife,"says Zito. "You break that rule and
60s, there was a drug called angel dust, this past year has been the worst in violent you're going out. You're down the road
Back then it was called D,O.A., or Dust activity,and it's going to get worse still." and in bad standing.And you're gonna get
of the Angels. They created and manu- beaten besides. We don't lie and we don't
factured it and sold it. The Rotary Club hack Zito was once the president of fuckin' steal from each other. And that's
has never offered Rotary dust. It's still an the Hell's Angels'Nomads chapter in why we're better than everybody else."
organization that, when they expel some- New York.A onetime bodyguard for Sustaining a marriage is another mat-
one,the very least the person gets is a se- Charlie Sheen,Liza Minnelli,and Sylvester ter. "It puts a strain on your relationship,"
vere beating and the removal of tattoos Stallone, and a cast member of Oz, the says Zito. "A year after I became a Hell's
with wire brushes and electric drills. The HBO prison drama, Zito has written a Angel, my wife and I divorced It was, to
Rotary Club does not do that, I'm sorry. memoir, Street Justice. He takes offense at her: Either them or me."
You have an organization that, by its very certain Hell's Angels stereotyping. Do they beat their "old ladies"? That
essence and core, authorizes kidnapping, "I get mad [that] because I'm wearing topic is what allegedly caused the Angels
beatings, extortion,robbery." a Hell's Angels jacket I'm stereotyped as to stomp Hunter S. Thompson on Labor
He adds, however, that some chapters this drug dealer," he says. "I've never put Day 1966, according to Sonny Barger.Af-
are "clean," or else have few members in- anything bad into my body.... If you sell ter witnessing an Angel named Junkie
volved in crime. He blames most of the drugs in our chapter[New Rochelle City], George slap his "old lady" and then kick
violent crimes on prospects—the gofers or you're out of the club. That way we don't his dog, Thompson, according to Barger,
pledges who want to be Angels. "Prospects have to worry about one man bringing protested, saying, "Only punks slip their
operate like they're carrying their balls the whole club down. As far as the drag old ladies and kick dogs:'That le to, as
around in a wheelbarrow," he says. "They thing, it's nothing but a myth, something Barger puts it, "a couple of us kicking
have to demonstrate they have what it takes. that sells papers, keeps the F.B.I. and him around." He writes, "He was bleed-
But most prospects don't get what it takes. these other agencies going. ing,broken up, and sobbing."
What the Helps Angels are looking for[in "We have members who can't even pay Thompson recalls the incident differ-
would-be members]is the ability to get it their fucking $15-a-week dues. So if we ently. From his Woody Creek, Colorado,
done without violence. But if it takes vio- had all this drug money, we'd have noth- home,he says the beating had to do with
lence, then they need to be able to do it." ing to worry about,man.We have families the Angels'feeling "used and abandoned"
McKinley,who now practices family law to support." Zito concedes, however, that by him. "[When the book was coming out,]
106 1 VANITY FAIR F E B R U A R Y 2003
LETTER FROM THE ROA
I showed them the jacket, and they didn't ferent from your local tavern. In the "brothers"in the crowd of roughly 11,000—
like it. I didn't like it;either. The cover daytime, several prospects loiter outside backstage, in the V.I.P. box, front and
showed a model dressed as a Hell's An- the Oakland clubhouse, smoking ciga- center, mere inches from Steven Tyler's
gel.Then they saw the price on the book, rettes. A member or two who might bare feet, their skull insignia stitched to
which was $4.95, and they wanted half have had problems with their old ladies their denim jacketed backs. They stand
of the earnings. I had become a sort of may be found sleeping upstairs. But out like pirates in the suburban Long
press spokesperson for them ... I intro- the Loft, a second home to Cisco and Island crowd: the Hell's Angels, "New
duced them to reporters and to cops. I Angels members, has the feeling of a Roc City" chapter. On this night it is
was one of them, in a way. When I told royal court. Here, prospects run to light Altamont lite;the Angels are guests, not
them that I couldn't join, I guess they felt Cisco's cigarettes. Two young women— bouncers, and nobody dies.
that I had rejected them, and it changed both wearing schoolgirl skirts—also rush There is Shorty, an anvil of a man who
our relationship.... I couldn't join them to serve his every need; one wears pig- runs a tattoo parlor upstate and may have
because then I would be bound to their tails. Enclosed by chain-link and barbed- been a blacksmith in another life. And
rules, and I wouldn't be able to write a wire fences,the Loft houses a collection Lobo,with his grin and braid. And,most
straight book." of 2,000 or so vintage records. Down- important,there is Zito. Zito, a 49-year-
Thompson sustained a broken rib and stairs is a modern kitchen equipped old former boxer and martial-arts expert,
facial bruises in the 1966 stomping.Today with cooking islands. Cisco leads me stands, arms crossed, directly in front of
he partially blames himself: "I was never to a garage next door. "I'm going to the stage as his pals in Aerosmith are
afraid of them,but I was always very,very make it into a kind of dungeon, with joined by Kid Rock and a still-active Run-
wary. Toward the end,though, I got a lit- chains hanging from the ceiling," he DMC(before the murder of its D,J,Jam
tle too relaxed. I got too casual." says. "I'm not really into S&M, but Master Jay) to duke it out on their 1986
Barger,in his memoir,asserts that, as a it'll look kind of cool." hit collaboration, "Walls This Way."
fight was brewing with the cops in Cali- This is Cisco's domain. After he makes After the show, Zito is swarmed at the
fornia, a frightened Thompson "jumped a joke, I say, laughingly, "You're insane!" cookout by fans, mostly young women
Perhaps, like Thomp- who might have walked out of The So-
son, I am getting too pranos. Big hair,bomber jackets, and tight
casual. "No, man!" an Guess jeans. Zito's admirers outnumber
Angel tells me pointed- those of Kid Rock, who has joined the
ly. "You don't say that Angels for a few beers. "Bob," as the
SAY, LAUGHINGLY, ('YOU'RE
` - INSANE!" "NO, MAN!" AN ANGEL TELLS
ME POINTEDLY. "YOU DON'T SAY
THAT TO CISCO! . . . HE AIN'T INSANE."
Angels call him—it's his real first name—
- appears comfortable allowing Zito the
• spotlight.
•• - "What I like most about the Hell's
- - - - - Angels," Kid Rock says, "is they police
themselves.Yeah,they police themselves."
Shorty approaches me, smiling. "This
• is for the record: I got a blow job from
into the trunk of his car." Writes Bar- Tiger Woods last week. You can print
get, "I never had too much more to say - that. He really did blow me." (Yes, Shorty
to him after that„ .° .'° ,1 ' ,r I I' is joking.)
Thompson laughs off the hiding-in- to Cisco!Cisco,he ain't insane, man. Not A tarted-up young woman gives Zito a
the-trunk allegation. "That's ridiculous," Cisco.No way is Cisco insane." kiss good-bye and saunters away. "Can 1 ;
he says. "I may have locked myself in my have a burger with that shake?" he says.
car to sleep at times.Who's going to hang ne summer night, a week before he Soon the Angels are revving up their
around a bonfire for 12 hours?" He says is set to go to Westchester County Harleys. Destination: Scores, the Man- w
he still admires the Angels: "I've rarely W jail—for violating an order of protec- Rattan men's club where, in 1998, Zito fa-
been around any group with such intense tion by calling his ex-wife and childhood moutly slugged Jean-Claude Van Damme,
loyalty. It was almost insane." sweetheart on September 11—Chuck Zito knocking him out of his chair. Just past o
Women I met who enjoy the company invites me to an Aerosmith concert. Zito, midnight, they're seated in a private area 'o
of Angels suffer from an obvious case of estranged from his wife of 25 years and of this Midtown strip club, feasting on w
thrill addiction. And yet to spend any ousted from the house that he built (he steak au poivre and chicken Marsala, <
time with the Angels can be as dull as had taken a masonry course during a six- finishing up the meal with espressos. <
sitting in a barbershop in Duluth. With year prison term),is living at the chapter's Girls in neon-hued spandex micromim
their oversize TV screens and pinball ma- clubhouse. dresses pass the table,but the Angels seem
chines, Angels clubhouses are no dif- At the concert, you can spot Zito's oblivious to them. They're talking about
108 1 VANITY FAIR FE A R UA RY 2003
• ' • . 1
the outlaw bikers' greatest enemy. Not number of those who want to join the Angels are attracting of late. Not that anyone
Mongols.Nor Pagans.Nor Bandidos.Not would seem to be at an all-time high.That complains out loud."They]mow they'd get
the F.B.I. said,Angels laugh off the notion that you a punch in the face," says Zito.
_ But deer. have to kill someone to become a member. On the night of Zito's book-release par-
"I ride the yellow line up the Taconic "There's no initiation," says Zito. "You ty, held at the China Club in Manhattan,
State Parkway," says Lobo, describing his gotta be 21 and have a Harley-Davidson. at least 200 members show up from all
route home to Peekskill,New York. That's how you start. It's a hang-out pro- over the country,lining their bikes up near
"You don't see a deer until they're liter- cess.You get to know us,we get to know Times Square, creating traffic jams and
ally through you," adds Shorty,who takes you,however long it takes.You don't have photo opportunities for the gawking tourists
the same route. to prove anything to us."Most important,he outside. Doormen wave the bikers into
Zito isn't listening. "I single-handedly says,you have to be strong-willed,even more the club ahead of the black-suited hip-
made this place," he says. The bill is so than physically strong. "You gotta be a sters and cocktail-dress cuties. The club
comped;Zito leaves a hefty tip. man first before you're anything in life.You has roped off two V.I.P. areas for high-
I ask the Angels about the"runs"chron- gotta be somebody who sticks
icled in Thompson's book. The drinking up for what you believe in:... h,
and drugging.The girls.The run-ins with - If you don't know how to 7
A
"LIKE NEVER BEFORE,
THIS PAST YEAR HAS BEEN THE WORST
IN VIOLENT ACTIVITY, AND
IT'S GOING TO GET WORSE STILL:'
the cops.The Mexican standoffs.The camp-
outs. Only Shorty seems part of that any-
more. "I went on a run to Laconia and got ,
bit up[by mosquitoes]like a motherfucker!" NES
Hell'sTHE WILD Bargeronny
Zito is laughing. "Camping in the fuck- (seated,center)
ing woods? We stay at fucking A-list ho- 2000.Left, Angel
tels.We eat at the finest of restaurants:' is a regular on the HBO prison
When he's pulled over for speeding in his drama, Oz,astride his Harley-Davidson
Corvette, he says, cops ask for his auto- -
r in Manhattan,1998.
graph. "This is the HeTs Angels two thou-
sand motherfucking two!"Zito says.
The question lingers:How has the most _ - rairking Angels and celebrity drop-ins.
feared motorcycle club seemingly become fight when you come into the club,by the Shorty sits on a banquette, nursing a
an underdog in a world of nearly anony- time you become a Hell's Angel,you will." drink and talking golf. Disco balls spin
mous Mongols, Pagans, Bandidos, Out- monotonously.Trays of shrimp on a stick
laws, Grim Reapers, Henchmen, Booze- ome senior Hell's Angels members, pass by, lowered to tables by jaded wait-
fighters, Kinsmen, Satan's Slaves, War- however,seem weary of living up to the ers.By the time the hired Elvis imperson-
locks, Iron Horsemen, Gypsy Jokers,and hype. For the annual July 4 rally at ator gyrates his way through his last num-
Wheels of Soul? Hollister,California—the small town that in- ber,no celebrities have shown up—no Liza,
Zito says it's cyclical. "It's just history spired The Wild One, the classic 1954 biker no Charlie,no Sean,no Cher.
repeating itself.Whether it's 1971 or 2001, movie—Cisco arrives in a car. He says he Zito scans the room, appearing more
every 5 or 10 years there's a problem. It doesn't really like two-wheeling these days. pissed by the minute. But look! The seas
cools down,and in another 10 years there'll He stays at a hotel in an outlying town,go- part as a familiar face is led through the
be a problem." ing to the annual event only to make "a crowd.It's a secondary cast member from
The larger theory I come away with is showing."When I ask Cisco after the four- The Sopranos:Federico Castelluccio, "the
a that for the past couple of decades the day weekend if he had fun,he says, "Same ponytail guy," as one onlooker puts it. A
Hell's Angels have been riding on their mys- old, same old." Police in Hollister had scene has been avoided yet again. All is
tique,which has endured despite their dwin- beefed up their security and dressed their calm with the Hell's Angels.
ding numbers. Their legend rankles the force in SWAT-team outfits.There were con- But not quite.As this story closes,a news
less well-known clubs,some of which have terns that the Mongols were going to be flash:A Hell's Angel was shot in the lower
o been steadily building their memberships there and that all hell would break loose. abdomen outside a bar in El Cajon, Cal-
in an attempt to hold the world title. Aside from 64 arrests on relatively minor ifornia,near a Hell's Angels clubhouse.An-
Following all the recent violence,the An- charges during the four-day rally, it went other man on the scene was stabbed to
gels are making efforts to rebuild as their without a hitch.Ice-cream carts jingled in death.The incident was reportedly related
w members retire or die off. If the Oakland sync with revving motorcycles.No pillaging, to the ongoing Mongols-Angels feud.And
chapter is any gauge,the average Angels age no rumbling, so the Hell's Angels roll on,with some of its
must be 50. But they are as slow in hand- And not all the Hell's Angels welcome members enjoying their status and others
ing out"patches"as they have always been. the kind of press attention and celebrity paying the price for riding with the baddest
0 It's not for lack of a few good men. The hobnobbing that members such as Zito motorcycle club on earth.❑
F EB RII A RY 2003 VANITY FAIR 1109
#C1Z
Palm Sprigs
Resort & Racquet Club
Interoffice Memorandum
T0: " P.S.H.H.A. Board
FROM4WEd Svitak
DATE: February 19, 2003
RE: American Heat Bike Weekend
Please note the attached survey as it relates to the American Bike Weekend which took
place during the weekend of October 20 — 22, 2000. As a reference for that year the
following activity took place at the Convention Center during this weekend:
2000
Filenet 10/18 — 10/26/00 Reported at 1200 rooms peak (actual?)
Pattern was:
Day THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
0/0 of 0 52% 96% 98% 100% 68% 0
Total
Block
• Riviera Resort sold out due to group activity.
2001
In 2001 the activity at the center over the Bike Weekend 10/12 — 10/14 included the
following:
International Spa Association 10/12 — 10/158 417 rooms peak
FYI...in 2001 the Riviera did over 200% above the average October weekend activity
over the last 9 years...and 4 times any other weekend in the Fall of 01 immediately
proceeding 9/11. As the largest Resort in Palm Springs...we feel this is indicative of the
positive economic impact this event has for our city.
�I
s p
2002 — No event
It would be much appreciated if you, or a member of your staff could get back to me
with your current availability of the weekend of October 17 — 19, 2003 to see how all of
our businesses might prosper.
At present there is no scheduled events at the Convention Center on this particular
weekend.
As an example of the information that we are looking for, please note below:
FRI SAT SUN
Riviera Resort 10/17 10/18 10/19
Rooms on Books 230 230 0
Present Occupancy % 48% 48% 0
(476 guest rooms)
Forecasted Occupancy % 88% 94%
Comments: Still need 150 rooms in group per night to make this happen!
We do realize that short-term business and other factors will influence market
conditions, however, this will get us in the right direction with regard to accountability!
Thank you in advance for your assistance with this project.
s:\pros\ed\memo\bike weekend memo to pshha 203
FROM :Roadshows FAX NO. :7753291364 Feb. 18 2003 09:49AM P2
ROOM OCCUPANCY
PALM SPRINGS
October, 2000
Adobe Inn&Spa Desert Hot Springs 20.00% 20.00% 10.00%
Aloha Hotel&Apartments No Information Given
Alpine Gardens Hotel 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Aqua Caliente Hotel & Spa 40,00% 100.00% 1 0.00%
Best Western Indio No Information Given
Budget Host Inn 100.00% 100,00% 100.00%
Casa Cody Red &Breakfast Country Inn 95-00% 100.00% 100,00%
Casa de Camero No Information Given
Colibrl Inn No Information Given
Courtyard by Marriott Palm Desert 70.00% 70.00% 70.0()-/.
Days Inn Suites No Information Given
Desert Hills Apartment Hotel 100.00% 1 99.00% 71.00%
Desert Hot Springs Spa Hotel No Information Given
Desert Palms Inn Closed in October
Doral Palm Springs Resort No Information Given
Embassy Suites Hotel Palm Desert 77.00% 1 99,0
Hampton Inn No Information Given
Hilton Palm Springs Resort 93.00% 100.00% 97.00%
Horizon Garden Motel 5.00% 96.00% 41,00% 1
Hotel California 38.00% 100.00% 13.00%
Howard Johnson 70.00% 95.00% 50,00%
Howard Johnson Lodge 86.00% 1 98.00% 68.00%
Hyatt Regency Suites 97.00% 1 100.00% 88.00%
Indianola Lodge No Information Given
Inn Exile 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 1
International Lodge of Palm Desert 58.00% 40.00% 40.00%
Kismet Lodge Spa-Tel Desert Hot Springs 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
La Quinta Resort&Club No Information Given
Las Brisas Best Western 100.00% 1 100.00% 100,00%
FROM :Roadshows FAX NO. :7753291364 Feb. 18 2003 09:49AM P3
Ain,
',JcdZ nlY 'fi°v`�vl :n F'.•3F 7v zn `}�'w ..h,,,v v, s a. ,5�` ' 4- ins f ,A .a a 'h.a _s zA x � � �r�M„♦!�i� Vf'�`��,f
'�s`?,a,�';��:,� , �. v'd �•^;z"� ' a'Mc�.n��Z» �n �n w `rt<.w n r ri ;Huh,,....h� ya\sAr,-za� �
Marriott Rancho Mirage No Information Given
Miracle Springs Resort&Spa No Information Given
Muslcland Hotel No Information Given
Nuturing Nest Desert Hot Springs 20.00% 30.00% 40.00%
Oasis Water Resort Villa Hotel No Information Given
Orchid Tree Inn 100.00% 1 100.00% 100.00%
Palm Court Will Not Share Information
Palm Desert Lodge Palm Desert No Information Given
Palm Springs Inn No Information Given
Palm Springs Marquis Resort No Information Given
Palm Springs Super 8 95.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Palm Springs Travel Lodge 98.00% 13ZOD% 41.00%
Palm Tee Hotel 80.00% 100.00% 80.00%
Place in the Sun 50.00% 88.00% 38.00%
Quality Inn 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Ramada Inn 87.000% 96.00% 79.00%
Rodeway Inn No Information Given
Shllo Inns 81.00% 96.00% 32.00%
The Inn at Deep Canyon Palm Desert 87.50% 89.00% 73.50%
The Spa Village Resorts 77.00% 99.00% 82.00%
Tramway inn No Information Given
Vagabond Inn 46.00% 91.00%
Villa Rosa Inn Bed &Breakfast 50.00% 100.00% 17.00%
Wyndham Hotel No Information Given
Feb 18 03 11 : 18a p. 2
FEB. 17, 03
FROM: MATHEW TALALA
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL.
RE: THE RETURN OF BIKE WEEKEND
FAX TO; TROY-323-8207
I THINK BIKE WEEKEND IS VITAL TO OUR ECONOMY.
SINCE THE CHIEF OF POLICE IS UP TO THE
CHALLENGE OF HANDLING ANOTHER BIKE WEEKEND, I
THINK IT IS THE DUTY OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO KEEP
THE BALANCE BETWEEN BUSINESS AND SAFETY.
DOWN VALLEY HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE
COMPETITIVE; AND SINCE WE ARE THE CITY THAT
SPECIALIZES IN THE DOWNTOWN THAT OFFERS ART
AND ENTERTAINMENT, THEN WE BETTER KEEP OUR.
EVENTS AND ADD TO THEM, RATHER THAN LOSING ANY
OF THEM.
PLEASE DO NOT DENY THE PLANNERS AND THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE PUTTING ON THIS WEEKEND. THE
GROWTH OF FACING A CHALLENGE, LET US MEET THE
CHALLENGE AND MAKE IT WORK.
THANK YOU,
MATHEW TALALA
RESOLUTION NO.
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS,
CALIFORNIA, TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING CERTAIN
REGULATORY ORDINANCES TO FACILITATE THE 2003
AMERICAN HEAT BIKE WEEKEND.
WHEREAS the City of Palm Springs designated the American Heat Bike Weekend as a
City-sponsored event; and
WHEREAS the City Council desires to facilitate the staging of the City-sponsored event to
maximize revenue production; and
WHEREAS the City Council finds that certain regulatory ordinances, which are generally
deemed desirable and necessary, may, nonetheless, impedethe conduct of special events;
and
WHEREAS the City Council finds that in holding special events, the public interest and the
benefits derived therefrom outweigh the temporary public inconvenience; and
WHEREAS the City Council has enacted Ordinance #1310 authorizing temporary
suspension of regulatory ordinances,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Palm Springs,
California, as follows:
Section 1. A. That the American Heat Bike Weekend is a special event beneficial to the
community and its visitor-oriented economy.
B. That the dates of the 2003 American Heat Bike Weekend are from
October 17 through October 19.
C. That Road Shows, Inc. and BR Entertainment are the event promoters,
along with their construction and concession personnel and staff.
D. That the venue of the American Heat Bike Weekend is Palm Canyon Drive
from Alejo Road to Baristo Road and certain portions of Arenas Road,
Tahquitz Canyon Way, Andreas Road and Amado Road between Belardo
Road and Indian Canyon Way.
Section 2. That the following ordinances are hereby temporarily suspended for the special
event designated in Section 1 above: Sign Ordinance, Zoning Ordinance, and
Noise Ordinance.
1805
Section 3. That the regulatory ordinances designated in Section 2 above shall remain in
full force and effect except as to the event dates and persons or organizations
as designated in Section 1 above.
ADOPTED this 19`h day of February, 2003.
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS,CALIFORNIA
By
City Clerk City Manager
REVIEWED&APPROVEDAS TO FORM
/ S�