Dog Bites

After burning half a page with hackneyed whining about Clear Channel's credentials as a media monopoly, the ad asserts that, by cutting one rather ordinary, not particularly large deal to sponsor a local music venue, SF Weekly now ... um ... equals Clear Channel. Even for the Guardian, it's a gargantuan, Michael Moore-on-bad-acid leap of logic, based, as the ad boastfully cites via asterisk, on an article by the Bay Guardian itself. Well, that's not quite right. In the citation, the Bay Guardian house ad mentions something called the SF Bay Guardain. Which means that:

2) Bruce Brugmann has forgotten how to spell the name of his own newspaper; or ...

3) Sic. Very, very sic. (Ryan Blitstein)

After a yearlong undercover investigation, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says it has found no racial discrimination at two Castro District bars, directly contradicting the findings of a report previously issued by the city's Human Rights Commission. ABC spokesman John Carr says department investigators looked seriously at allegations of racial bias at the bars -- SF Badlands and the Detour -- but "were not able to substantiate the complaints."

The complaints, lodged by the activist group And Castro for All, also led to a San Francisco Human Rights Commission investigation. The HRC claimed in April that the owner of SF Badlands, Les Natali, had discriminated against patrons and potential employees. Based on the HRC's report, San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty -- the admitted "best friend" of a Natali competitor -- pushed for city and state agencies to put Natali's bars out of business. Activists repeatedly picketed Natali's clubs. News stories repeatedly suggested the clubs had refused admission to blacks.

But state investigators, who interviewed bar patrons undercover, substantiated none of the allegations of bias the Human Rights Commission supposedly found.

The state investigation began after Natali applied for a liquor license for another one of his Castro bars, the Pendulum, which has a primarily African-American clientele. The findings mean that Natali's liquor license will likely be approved. It appears, however, that he will not use it for long. Natali announced last week that he plans to sell the Pendulum to settle a lawsuit filed by a group that also tried to buy the Pendulum. Natali's lawyer says selling the bar is "a way of wrapping up a number of things." Perhaps. (Cristi Hegranes)