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Are SLO County supervisors too old to party?

June 3, 2014

Party

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors turned down a proposal to permit Forever Never Land to sell more than 3,000 tickets to an Avila Beach September event.

Forever Never Land is a weekend long festival for ages 21 and up, in which attendees have a range of booze-filled choices that include house party games, dancing to 80s and 90s music, slip ‘n sliding and laser tag. Forever Never Land LLC proposed selling up to 10,000 tickets to the event slated for Sept. 13 and 14 at the Avila Beach Golf Resort.

During the board meeting, a representative for the promoter said that they would need 5,000 or 6,000 attendees to make the Never Land event viable. The promoter has already rented the space and sold some tickets. Even so, it is not yet known if the event will be canceled.

Tuesday, the board of supervisors voted down the proposed business license required for events having more than 3,000 attendees during a meeting Tuesday. The board voted 4-1 against the Forever Never Land plan, with Supervisor Debbie Arnold dissenting.

Arnold argued that the Avila golf course is private property designated for events and that the festival would generate needed revenue for the county. The other four supervisors said Forever Never Land is too large an event for Avila Beach, and the community is already overcrowded at that time of year.

Prior to the vote, Supervisor Frank Mecham said to board chairman Bruce Gibson, “You and I are too old to go to this anyway.”

“No we’re not, Supervisor Meacham,” Gibson responded. “Absolutely not. I reject that out of hand.”

But, Gibson then said plans for the festival did not meet county requirements.

County regulations allow for the festival to occur if it has less than 3,000 attendees, lasts fewer than eight hours and part of the proceeds go to a nonprofit. Forever Never Land representatives planned for a crowd of 8,000 but said that they could still make the event work with 5,000 or 6,000 attendees.


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The rules seem reasonable. The promoter knew what the rules were, ‘nough said.


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So most of the comments here seem to be making light of the Supervisors making a decision that protects an area that can get overwhelmed very easily; the rules have been stated for quite some time regarding the maximum number of attendees (3000 or so), the number of days for an event (one day only) and that a portion of the proceeds have to go to a charity. The applicant wanted to double the number of days and and wanted to triple the number of attendees; does anyone understand the impacts of such logistics?


For arguments sake, let’s suppose the event was authorized to happen for 10,000 attendees (each day); how in the world would the promoters be able to control the number of people who would attempt to attend? Where would all of the necessary law enforcement officers come from to provide security, traffic control and be able to keep the peace? For 10,000 attendees, let’s suppose that they only had 3 to 4 thousand automobiles; where in the hell would they park? At an average of twenty feet long, 264 cars is a mile long, if they were actually touching bumper to bumper; 4000 thousand cars bumper to bumper is more than FIFTEEN MILES LONG ! Let’s say that the promoters actually were able to convince 3/4 ths of the attendees to park in Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande and even San Luis Obispo and then transported to the event by shuttle buses; who provides security for all of those parked cars? With remaining 1000 cars clogging up Avila Beach Drive, how do emergency personal get to the event for medical assistance?


Does the Avila Pier get shut down because the normal tourist traffic cannot get to the pier? Is it right to take away business from established businesses just so an out of town promoter can make a few bucks?


I for one am very glad the Supervisors made an adult decision about this particular event since access to the San Luis Bay Inn and Resort is pretty tough on a normal event with the usual 3000 number; this event being held there would have been a major catastrophe, period.


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Bob, you forgot to mention 10,000 people who have been enjoying “booze-filled choices” trying to drive away from the venue at the same time…


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or….

http://vimeo.com/76310046


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But, but Bruce, the Swing’n Medallions were scheduled to play. Remember their big hit Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)? Adam joined the group a couple of years back.

Oh, the disappointment!


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Never mind that avoiding a mob scene is one reason why I live here, never mind that there are too many weekends that I avoid going to the beach because of another special event that fills up with tourists, and never never mind that as an inland dweller I am very sensitive to the coastal growth and events which are drain our inland water supply. All of these personal reasons are dwarfed by comparison to those who have bought and live in these impacted areas.


Who is hurting so bad that he or she would even consider another adult-world event at this location?


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Robb Rossi?


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You should see or experience “Weedstock” held annually in Wisconsin.

It generates plenty of ‘revenoo’s” for the local LEA’s ( although they do have to hire plenty of extras from around the state ).


Supervisor Arnold might enjoy something like that.


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Or, the promoter should have called it the LGBT Pride Event. It would have been approved as requested. And hopefully, given today’s polling, hopefully one of Gibson’s final approvals before the polls close and voters kick his fanny to the curb for moral turpitude and anti-property rights and anti-public speaker behaviors.


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Could you be any more homophobic?


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Why do you hate free thinkers?


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Because they have a hole in their heart that should be filled with God, but yet, they look outside to worldly pleasures from the “prince of this world”. satan.


The ungodly are few. But menacing in todays world.


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Love the tag-name by the immoral left “homophobic”. Gosh, the immoral Godless left has such the patent on name calling against those who have a differing opinion.


Good for you LC! Continue to tell it as you see it.


And let the immoral dogs of the left continue to go back to their vomit.


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Homophobic because he said “fanny”?


Or?


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Pretty lame….Lame.


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You all may not LIKE what LameCommenter said, but that doesn’t mean that it’s wrong. I’m gay, but I fail to see anything he said that is homophobic. It’s critical, and though it was meant to be sarcastic, it is very likely true and demonstrates how we have confused freedom and special privileges. And then gay people as a whole wonder why we aren’t more accommodated by society….


Oh and also, Gibson is a moral train wreck, is anti-property rights, and plays favoritism with public comment..


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The promoter should have called it AMGEN Tour of California land and then it would have been approved as requested.


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