By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
The Machista Bar was reprieved from the nuisance abatement and revocation proceedings on May 21. The administrator put the case on hold for an indefinite amount of time to research the status of the Certificate of Occupancy and the state liquor license. The owners of the troubled watering hole believed they were the targets of unfair enforcement measures, accusing Councilman Tim McOsker, through their attorney Kirt Hopson, of rigging the system against them.
In his brief, Hopson argues that McOsker, driven by a personal agenda, has initiated a campaign to drive the Machista Bar, a minority and woman-owned bar, out of business, citing that McOsker’s daughter purchased a home near the bar and is a resident there.
Hopson noted that five months after opening in April 2022, the Machista Bar was hit by multiple rounds of gunfire, shattering a glass door and a window. Hopson reports that the bar passed its first inspection without any penalties or negative inspection reports in January 2023. In May 2023, the bar was a victim of vandalism and theft after a transient gained access to their roof and stole the copper wiring in their AC unit. In November 2023, Machista Bar was visited by the Los Angeles Police Department Harbor Division’s vice squad for an inspection, an inspection initiated due to complaints about noise, patrons and the aesthetics of the building. The Machista Bar, Hopson wrote, took action to correct the issues addressed and no further action was required. “The year 2023 ended on a good note,” he said.
On Jan. 2, McOsker visited the bar to speak with the bar’s owner, Jessica Vazquez. She wasn’t present. He left a message with the barkeeper. From the clips provided by Hopson, it’s only apparent that he stopped by the bar, and asked to speak with Vazquez. Another clip catching less than 30 seconds of the conversation shows McOsker disagreeing with the barkeep’s characterization of the issues the bar was being asked to correct or mitigate.
Then there was the Jan. 20, 2024 shooting resulting in one death and two wounded, and an underage bar patron on the run as the shooter.
In phone calls to this reporter, Hopson explained that even before the shooting, City Councilman Tim McOsker had been turning the screws on the small business owner by staging DUI checkpoints near the bar and was doing it to benefit his daughter who purchased a house behind the bar. The LAPD’s vice squad visited the establishment at least once last year. Hopson said the bar addressed all issues and argued this was a case of McOsker using his power for the benefit of his daughter.
Hopson admits several calls were made to the police regarding incidents in the vicinity of the bar, but argues that most of those incidents had nothing to do with the bar and its patrons.
The Jan. 20 shooting began as an altercation between two women, 18-year-old Estrella Rojas and Blanca Rosas, which then turned into a shooting, resulting in one person dead and two wounded.
When asked why there was an 18-year patron in the bar in the first place, Hopson’s answer was short: “She had a fake I.D.” He didn’t go into any detail like whether her identification was state-issue identification or if she borrowed the identification from a friend or relative to whom she looked similar.
LAPD’s Harbor Division captain, Shannon White, agreed that the bar complied with the vice squad’s recommendations, but noted that the owners refused further meetings with them after the second visit.
“The most I can say is that, yeah, the violations were nothing that I would go, oh, four alarm fire. They were cooperative in trying to fix things whether it was the graffiti or trash in the alley,” Capt. White explained. “They did have a security officer there that they’d added under that ownership obviously to limited efficacy. So it does beg the question, what else could have been done?”
McOsker’s office, when contacted for this story said the councilman had no comment regarding the Machista Bar’s allegations or hearing being put on hold. While the case is under advisement, pending a decision, the public can submit written comments to Los Angele City Planning Department staff member Iris Wan at Iris.Wan@lacity.org
