I’ll be crashing the Albany Common Council’s Planning Committee Hearing in opposition to the proposed cabaret license law.

“Crashing,” mind you, is used more for impact, since it’s open to the whole public.

So we should make an effort here, folks.

If you don’t already know about the new cabaret licensing that the city has proposed: not only would it account for an annual fee of anywhere from $300 to $900 for small businesses (who already run into enough difficulties due to Albany’s red tape, parking permits, etcetera), but the process would be handled internally and behind closed doors by the City Clerks’ office – completely removing transparency from the process (though it should be noted that the latest draft of the law did include some public input).

All Over Albany compiled a ton of interesting info about the matter after the monthly Laughs on Lark showcase – run by comedians (and friends) Matt Kelly and Jaye McBride – was shut down due to a weekend visit from the police warning Elda’s on Lark that they were not adequately permitted to run “amplified entertainment.” They also visited Rock’s and Pinto & Hobbes. Rock’s has a license, so the police had to bugger off (nice try though). Pinto & Hobbes, unfortunately, didn’t realize it needed a permit to run its karaoke events, which it is dependent on in order to bring in business. So now not only do they have to rush to apply for a permit post-haste, they’re going to get hit again if this new law gets passed.

A little bird told me yesterday that all the businesses that were randomly visited and selected for enforcement (after ten years of it being known about but not enforced) were vocal in their opposition to Albany’s recent change to its parking permit system, the insinuation being this may have been politically motivated. I can’t verify that, so take it with a grain of salt.

Regardless, this new law would be shit for small businesses running quite possibly the most harmless events in the region. I’m not even clear on why the law’s being considered, except to price out and/or deny licenses to what they perceive to be “problem spots” in the area. Except nuisance violations should do the trick (that’s how Troy does it), and the lack of transparency is very troubling. Who determines why a license would or would not be granted? How do you know ahead of time if a new business is going to be a problem spot? It stinks. It stinks for small businesses (especially those tiny bars and coffee houses), it stinks for performers, and it stinks of political retribution and bureaucratic discrimination in the guise of community concern.

Show up if you can next Wednesday at 5:00pm and let your voice be heard. Check out the Facebook Events Page for more info.