The approval sets the framework in place in the city's Administrative Code to create a new commission relieving police of most licensing and permitting tasks for nightclubs, bars and restaurants.
Supervisor Gavin Newsom, a restaurateur and bar owner, says he supports the idea and believes it will raise revenues by granting quicker permits so that new businesses can secure their space and get going.
Supervisor Mark Leno, sponsor of the measure, says the entertainment-oriented body, which Police Chief Fred Lau suggested, would not only free police officers for crime fighting but also make permitting more efficient and flexible as circumstances change.
Leno says that a charter amendment he has also proposed would give voters a say in how the commission operates, possibly creating a seven-member panel with the mayor appointing four commissioners and the Board of Supervisors three. A separate hearing and vote on the charter amendment have yet to take place.
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