New Nightclub Coalition Launches

A trade organization dedicated to serving the interests of nightclubs and other entertainment venues in San Francisco helda launch party Thursday night in the city to encourage more members to sign up for the new group.

The California Music and Culture Association plans to "fill a void in the media and political dialogue surrounding entertainment issues," Sean Manchester, president of the organization, said.

Manchester, owner of the nightclubs Wish and Mighty in San Francisco, said he and a handful of other nightclub owners have been planning the start of the group for nearly a year so purveyors of entertainment "could have one unified voice as opposed to several smaller ones."

He said the group would be modeled after a similar organization, the New York Nightlife Association in New York City, as well as the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, a group that focuses on restaurants in San Francisco rather than nightclubs.

The group will have "a really broad-based" membership including "anything that falls under the entertainment and culture umbrella," he said. "It could be theater, performing artists, DJs, basically anyone with a vested interest in entertainment."

Frieda Edgette, a representative for CMAC, said the group will focus on "education, collaboration and communication" with the community.

It will provide information on the permit process in San Francisco, new legislation that could affect entertainment business owners, and best business practices at the members’ venues, Edgette said.

She said it will also collaborate with city departments such as the police and fire departments and the San Francisco Entertainment Commission to discuss any issues that might arise between the agencies and their members.

Thursday’s launch party, which was expected to include city officials such as City Attorney Dennis Herrera and City Treasurer Jose Cisneros, will hopefully lead to other chapters being established elsewhere in California.

"We hope to be a statewide organization, because the issues impacting nightlife remain the same although the municipality may change," Edgette said.