Features
Backyard Beef
Concert promoter Danny Scher has been using his Kensington, Calif., backyard to stage fund-raising concerts in a natural amphitheatre on the property during summer weekends. Problem is, some of his neighbors haven’t been thrilled about it.
They have made complaints and staged an informational picket on the street in front of his house last fall when the former
Even though it’s been some months since the Kerry fund-raiser that raised so many hackles, Contra Costa supervisor John Gioia called a meeting February 17th between Scher and 19 of his neighbors to talk things out.
After two hours, no minds were changed.
“It was a dog-and-pony show,” resident Toni Folger-Brown told the Contra Costa Times. “So we got nothing accomplished, in my view.”
On that point, at least, Scher and Folger-Brown appear to be in agreement.
“No, nobody changed their position,” Scher told Pollstar. “There wasn’t anything at all like consensus.”
Scher added that he believes local authorities support his handling of the concerts in his 250-capacity backyard shed.
“The police and fire departments have said I’m not a nuisance. They appreciate the way I shuttle people to the house, the hours – I do it during afternoons, on weekends. I am not a nuisance, though they might think I’m a pain in the ass.”
County supervisors told Scher in 2001 to get a special permit before holding more such events. He didn’t, was fined, and lost an appeal. His next step is going to be in court, Scher said.
“There are a number of issues here,” he explained. “If using your house for a fund-raiser is against the law, then it’s against the law for everyone. To me, it is a civil rights issue.”