Bull could get sent to butcher

A Huntington Beach restaurant and bar made popular by its mechanical bull ride is in danger of losing its entertainment permit, following 79 police calls on allegations like public drunkenness, assault with a deadly weapon, theft and noise disturbances since its May opening.

The downtown Black Bull Chop House will be the subject of a public hearing early next year to determine its fate.

The restaurant also was the site of an alleged drink spiking in which a woman said she later was sexually assaulted offsite, a Planning Commission report said.

The business has been served with 11 permit violations for allegations like not clearly identifying security personnel, and the fire department has fined it for overcrowding twice.

Black Bull had its entertainment permit pulled by city police earlier this fall. Owner Cesar Pena appealed the decision to the City Council.

The restaurant will be able to stay open until the final decision is made, Huntington Beach Police Department Lt. Dave Bunetta said.

“While the application is awaiting final disposition, they’re able to operate under the terms of the original permit,” he said.

The city Planning Commission also voted Nov. 12 to consider the revocation of the restaurant’s conditional use permit, as part of its customary six-month review.

The permit covers several aspects of the restaurant’s operation, including whether it can operate the bull, serve alcohol and host music and dancing.

Police Chief Ken Small said in a letter to the commission that he found the restaurant tended to turn into a nightclub-style atmosphere in the evenings, not in keeping with its claims to be a family-style restaurant while in the planning process.

Pena will work with the police department in the coming weeks to try to achieve a compromise, and see which changes will need to be made to keep the venue in operation, Project Planner Rami Talleh said.

CANDICE BAKER can be reached at (714) 966-4631 or at [email protected].