El Miramar Hours Curtailed, Owner Hires Security

The owner of El Miramar will get a second chance to meet city requirements at his downtown restaurant, bar and pool hall, though Juan Yepez Garcia will be held to tighter standards moving forward.

 following a fatal stabbing outside the bar in March. This month marked six months since Garcia took ownership of El Miramar, which is a normal interval for a Watsonville Planning Commission review.

City planner Suzi Aratin cited a long list of issues to the planning commission at Tuesday's meeting, including late-night music, serving underage patrons and parking catering trucks behind the building.

"There have been numerous violations," Aratin said.

But rather than follow the city staff recommendation to shut the restaurant, bar and pool hall at 10 p.m. nightly—cutting a huge, and profitable, chunk out of Garcia's current hours of operation—the planning commission came to a compromise.

"I need to not close early," Garcia told the planning commission. "People come in from 9 to 11."

Commissioner Karina Cervantez offered the olive branch.

"I think the proposal as it currently stands is really punitive and unfair to the business owner," she said.

Instead, El Miramar will now close its restaurant at 10 p.m., issue "last call" at 10:30 p.m., then shut down the bar and clear all alcohol off the tables by 11 p.m. The pool hall will close at midnight.

A woman who's lived above the bar for 26 years came and spoke in support of Garcia's establishment, saying she's never had a problem and appreciates that the elderly enjoy visiting the billiards hall at El Miramar.

Francisco Chavez, who sold the business to Garcia, also came out to back El Miramar.

"Give Mr. Garcia another chance," Chavez said.

Garcia said he has already repaired a faulty video camera in the back of the bar, removed the portable toilet behind the building and hired a security guard. He's also willing to park his catering trucks elsewhere.

"I'm going to accept everything I did wrong," Garcia said.

El Miramar's permits will be up for review again in three months.