To Stockton officials: Approve it!

Posted August 13 at 07:08 AM

The Stockton planning commission is facing a decision that could set the tone for the future of the city’s entertainment scene. On Aug. 14, commission members will hear Chitiva’s request for a permit to hold live entertainment on its patio.

If Stockton wants to live up to its potential as an event city, the commission needs to approve the request - immediately.

The locally-owned restaurant and bar, located in the Waterfront Warehouse building, serves as a model for how entertainment businesses should be run in Stockton. It’s built a reputation over the past few years as a safe venue for a variety of events and its succeeded in a location where other bars and restaurants have failed.

That success is primarily a result of Chitiva’s salsa nights, which feature free dance lessons followed by dancing with a live band or DJ. During the summer it's held on the bar’s patio, one of the most beautiful local entertainment venues in the city. It overlooks the Deepwater Channel, which sparkles at night and reflects the glow of fireworks from Stockton Ballpark.

Salsa nights also have drawn a high-energy, positive fun crowd that’s diverse in both age and background.

But it’s not all salsa at Chitiva’s. The establishment’s owners - Carlos and Liz Chitiva - also have been open to hosting a wide array of local talent. They’ve worked with comedy, rap and rock promoters and featured jazz open mic nights, and as a result they’ve helped the area’s entertainment scene develop.

And the Chitivas have done it all with an emphasis on security. You know when you go to an event at their establishment, you’ll be safe.

The couple did make one mistake, however. They assumed that the venue had its necessary permits because they’ve been hosting live entertainment events there for years, since before they even owned the establishment.

Unfortunately, they were wrong. Now they have to request a permit from the city.

Stockton will need more bars and restaurants to develop its entertainment scene, which it must do if it wants the Stockton Arena and other city-owned large venues to make money. And the Chitivas are the exactly the type of venue owners the city needs.

If the planning commission denies their request - or delays its decision further (the meeting already was rescheduled at least once) - it will send the wrong message for the city’s future. Potential new venue owners will see that Stockton is still too bogged down in bureaucracy or worse, opposed to live entertainment.

As a result, they’ll take their business, and their money, elsewhere. - Ian Hill / 209Vibe editor