I Love Chelseas

Hello All,

After a lot of work through phone calls and emails SB136 has been passed by the Senate and the House! The final step in this process is for the Governor Jindal to sign the bill. It has been brought to my attention that the Governor has been getting a lot of phone calls and emails in opposition to the bill. I need all of you to put in a phone call into the Governor’s office as well as email the 4 people below in support of SB136. Please let the Governor know, once again, that this bill does not affect local zoning laws. Each municipality has the opportunity to override the state’s regulations. This has been the case the whole time. It is unfortunate that this has blown up to the point where religious groups, neighborhood associations and the City of New Orleans has muddied the water so much that it has become the giant that it is today. Let’s not allow these few groups to push so hard in opposition for a bill they do not fully understand.

• bobby.jindal@la.gov
• camille.conaway@la.gov
• timmy.teepell@la.gov

Emails must have “SB 136″ in subject.

You can call the Governor’s office at (225) 342-7015.

Thanks so much for your continued support.

Dave Remmetter

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The House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of SB 136 by a vote of 8 to 4 yesterday morning. The bill now heads to the full House for consideration. The House will vote on this bill sometime between now and Monday. By law, the House MUST consider this bill by the end of business on Monday, June 22nd.

It is once again critical that we generate telephone calls, emails and faxes to each of the 104 members of the House of Representatives asking them to vote FOR SB 136. We are almost there…WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW…

Please use these talking points (pdf) when contacting members of the House of Representatives. You can look up your representative using the form below:

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO MENTION TO EACH REPRESENTATIVE THAT THIS BILL IN NO WAY EFFECTS LOCAL ZONING LAWS. In other words, local governments can still enact their own zoning laws and other regulations related to restaurants that sell alcohol.

Thank you!!!

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Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, in the House Judiciary Committee (Rm. number 1), representatives will consider our bill, SB 136. This little bill has been on a long, erratic and arduous journey, but Wednesday is it’s debut day in the other chamber, the House. It is our assumption that Senator Jackson herself will be “handling” the bill rather than asking a colleague on the House side to shepherd the bill through committee. Read the rest of this entry »

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Great news! SB 136 was brought up for reconsideration on the floor of the Louisiana State Senate yesterday and passed  by a margin of 11 votes (23 to 12)! The bill now moves to the Louisiana State House of Representatives where it will be assigned to committee. So stay tuned on dates and times committee meetings and how you can contact your representatives and express your support for SB 136.

Thanks again to Senatory Lydia Jackson for introducing the bill in the Senate and to all of you for doing your part by signing the petition and contacting your Senators and urging them to support the bill. We’re getting there!

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SB 136 is running into opposition from an unexpected corner. Within the ranks of the restaurant industry itself, forces are building up quickly to defeat SB 136. New Orleans’ own Ralph Brennan of Bacco, Mr.B’s Bistro, the Red Fish Grill, Commander’s Palace, and much more is the force behind the opposition. His efforts are gaining steam and have spread throughout the French Quarter and beyond to various neighborhood associations in the Crescent City. What this means for us is that if the Beer Industry League and the Louisiana Restaurant Association can’t convince Mr. Brennan and friends of the merits of passing this bill or work out a compromise, we’re in for an epic battle. Fighting the New Orleans restaurant lobby is not what we wanted or expected. We haven’t been able to figure out why Mr. Brennan opposes any changes to existing language; it might just be a general protectionist stance to take care of his investments.

CORRECTION

It has come to our attention that Ralph Brennan is not opposed to SB 136. On good faith and reasonable belief therein, we understand that Mr. Brennan agrees with the clarification contained within SB 136 and is actually a supporter of the bill in its current form. Therefore, we wish to issue this public correction to state that the information previously provided (above), though from an otherwise credible and substantiated source, appears to have been inaccurate as it pertains to Brennan. There is indeed resistance from that part of the New Orleans restaurant community which is apparently confused about the potential effect of the proposed bill on existing businesses, but Ralph Brennan should not be counted within their ranks. Our sincere apologies for this mistake.

We still desperately need you to call at least your senator and hopefully a few others and express your support for SB 136. The road ahead is getting steeper and the simple truth is that we cannot hope to make it without you and your voice. Read the rest of this entry »

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We’ve heard that the Louisiana Senate will vote on SB 136 today in their afternoon session, which starts at 3 pm. Obviously that doesn’t allow much time to let our voices be heard, but if you’ve got a minute to call your senator before 3pm and voice your support for SB 136 that would be a big help. Click here and type in your address to get the contact information for your senator.

Thanks!

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Yesterday was a big first step in getting SB 136 passed by the Louisiana state legislature. Thanks to all of you that showed up for the hearing, contacted a member of the committee and/or signed the petition (which you can still do if  you haven’t yet). The senators on the committee appeared to be very interested in ironing out the ambiguities of the law and their questions to those testifying were very interesting to hear and showed that they had done their homework on the matter.

The Advocate has a good article on yesterday’s hearing here and also does a good job of summing up the specifiics of SB 136 and what it hopes to accomplish. You can read it here. We’ll have more information on what you can continue to do to help in the next few days.

Thanks again for all of your support. We’re almost there!

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Friends and Supporters:

The first (of at least four) votes is coming up at 9:30am on Tuesday, May 19th - a mere 5 days away!  It will be heard in Senate Committee - Judiciary B.  WE NEED YOU THERE! The magic of democracy in Louisiana only EVER happens when we pack a committee room with supporters (or opponents) and let the legislators know what we expect.  Without that presence, we typically always fail.  So we are counting on YOU to be there on Tuesday morning much as many were there for support in court.  The main differences this time are that:

1. there are 7 decision makers to convince rather than one,
2. the decision is not final as the bill, if passed, would then have to go to the Senate floor and then over to the House committee and then, if favorable, to the House floor for a final vote,
3. the fight is bigger than for just Chelsea’s alone this time, and finally, if successful, this clears up virtually everything that stands in Chelsea’s way.

*Special Note: This particular fight is larger than Chelsea’s and many other groups and interests are involved. We may end up having pins or buttons for solidarity, but this time, NO T-SHIRTS please.

SO HERE’S WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU Read the rest of this entry »

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Judge Trudy White ruled in favor of petitioner Remmeter, L.L.C. today in his effort to secure a temporary restraining order (T.R.O.) or injunction to enjoin (prohibit by judicial order) the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control from enforcing the suspension of Chelsea’s alcohol license. She also required a $1,500.00 (refundable) bond be posted by Remmeter, L.L.C. to ensure compliance with her judgment pending outcome of the appeal. That $1,500.00 is not punitive in nature. A new trial date has not yet been set. Counsel for Remmeter, L.L.C. has 72 hours to submit a judgment for White to sign, they’ll then look at the docket, set a date and prepare for trial. In the meantime, we lobby for passage of SB 136, we let our elected officials (State Representatives, Senators, Mayor, Planning and Zoning Commissioners and the Metro Council) know our thoughts and our position on all of this. Then we tell our friends and we share food, drink, music and merriment at Chelsea’s Cafe!

Well done Dave Remmeter, Brandon Brown, Judge Trudy White and all of you who continue to support this cause! Justice was served.

Update from Dave Remmetter (Chelsea’s Owner): Though Chelsea’s has posted the required bond, we still have not been re-issued our liquor license. Therefore, we will not be able to sell alcoholic drinks for up to 72 hours (possibly sooner). Please stay tuned for an update, but as of right now, Chelsea’s cannot yet sell any alcoholic beverages.

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As of noon the hearing of Remmetter LLC vs. State of LA is in the testimony phase. We are staying as up to date as we can via twitter and text messages, but people are having to come and go so updates are spotty.  We’ll let you know as soon as we hear a decision is reached and advise on what future plans that mandates for the I ♥ Chelsea’s community. Thanks to everyone that’s following along and showing a lot of interest.

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