Hearing on restaurant allegations postponed

The Newport Beach Planning Commission postponed a hearing over whether to revoke a use permit for a popular sushi restaurant after undercover police officer reportedly saw patrons drinking and using drugs in the restaurant’s parking lot.

The sushi lounge is licensed as a restaurant, but a police investigation found evidence the establishment has been promoting itself as a nightclub, Planning Commission documents show.

Attorney Stephen Jamieson, acting on the restaurant’s behalf, requested the commission postpone the hearing late Thursday night because it did not have enough time to respond to police allegations of illicit activity in connection to Fury.

“We’re looking forward to be able to present our case with a constitutionally adequate opportunity to be heard,” Jamieson said Friday.

Undercover police officers visited the restaurant in January and reported patrons’ possibly using illegal drugs, and urinating and vomiting outside, according to a Planning Commission staff report.

The investigation alleges Fury advertised dancing on MySpace and used the services of nightclub promoters. The lounge is authorized to serve alcohol, but it would need a different permit to operate as a nightclub. A new hearing date has not been set.

— Brianna Bailey