PASADENA, CA — The City of Pasadena can now confirm a settlement of litigation with the owner of Crown City Billiards (Jerry’s Billiards), located at 1312 N. Lake Ave., that includes various restrictions, including the business agreeing to reduced hours of operation and additional commitments to address adjacent residential neighborhood concerns.
The owner of Jerry’s Billiards had filed a lawsuit challenging the City Council’s March 2023 determination that Jerry’s Billiards was required to close at 10:00 p.m. every day. After considering the matter, and without admitting any fault or position in the litigation, the City Council agreed to a settlement in which Jerry’s Billiards has agreed to implement important protections for the community that are required by the agreement. Jerry’s Billiards has agreed to hours of operation of 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. (of the next day) on Sundays through Thursdays, and from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (of the next day) on Fridays and Saturdays. As part of the settlement, Jerry’s has agreed to give up any claimed right to operate until 1:00 a.m. on weekdays and 1:30 a.m. on weekends, or to open earlier than 11:00 a.m. on any day. In addition, in an effort to help address community concerns regarding safety and noise, Jerry’s has agreed to post a policy on its back door prohibiting patrons from loitering or making loud noise in the parking lot after 10:00 p.m. on any day. Jerry’s has also agreed to keep its back door to the parking lot closed after 10:00 p.m. on all days of the week and to ensure that its patrons do not congregate in the parking lot area after 10:00 p.m. on any day of the week.
The City Council originally unanimously approved the settlement on August 21, with Councilmember Hampton absent. However, after discussion of the matter as an information item at the August 28 City Council meeting, a subsequent closed session was held on September 6. During the September 6 closed session, the Council considered a motion to rescind approval of the settlement, and renegotiate settlement terms; that motion failed, with three votes in favor (Mayor Gordo, Vice Mayor Williams, and Councilmember Hampton), four votes against (Councilmembers Jones, Lyon, Madison, and Masuda), and Councilmember Rivas absent. Following the September 6 closed session meeting, the City signed the settlement agreement. This morning, lawyers for Jerry’s Billiards notified the court that the case has settled.
“The City has obtained important protections for the community with this settlement,” said Miguel Márquez, Pasadena City Manager. “In light of the unique circumstance of the City being part-owner of the parking lot at Block 5, the City will take additional steps to enhance security at the premises to address the concerns raised by neighbors while keeping the area welcoming to businesses,” Márquez added.
“I was disappointed with the decision so today I met with affected neighbors and I have asked Mayor Gordo to work with us on solutions that address key safety and quality of life measures that were not included in the settlement. We plan to bring these community-driven recommendations forward and I’m confident that working together we can improve neighborhood conditions,” said Vice Mayor Felicia Williams, City of Pasadena, District 2.
The City retains the ability to pursue quality of life and nuisance abatement remedies in the future against any businesses or property owners if sufficient evidence supports such action or actions.