Staff reports: Wonder Lounge complaints unsubstantiated; Bodega asked to move speakers

Deputy Director Azevedo updated the commission on enforcement and inspections at several venues, summarizing outcomes and next steps.

On Wonder Lounge (673 Geary), Azevedo said the business is operating under a temporary permit while applying for its own POE; since the last hearing inspectors received six anonymous complaints, visited four times and "were unable to substantiate any of the complaint allegations." Azevedo added the owner sent an incident report after a nearby altercation that did not appear to involve Wonder Lounge patrons and that SFPD had been involved.

Bodega (700 Columbus), which holds a jam permit for outdoor amplified sound, received three complaints. Staff found the business in compliance with its jam permit but determined that the outdoor speaker placement was projecting sound down an alley toward a neighbor; Inspector Zavrina recommended moving the speakers and the owner agreed to consider the change.

Azevedo said an inspection at May’s found people loitering in a parklet after closing and staff asked the owner to close the parklet to mitigate congregating; a separate complaint about street food vendors playing loud music nearby was forwarded to the Department of Public Health environmental health team for vendor permitting review.

Staff also reported that Hotel Via has acquired a new sound meter; Azevedo said staff will "sync our meter with theirs" and perform a compliance check at the venue's next rooftop daytime event on Sunday, April 24.

Azevedo invited commissioners to ask questions; commissioners sought confirmation about the anonymous nature of 311 complaints and whether staff can track repeat complainants. Azevedo said staff cannot confirm identity for anonymous submissions but suspected some complaints used similar language and may have come from the same source.