Monday, December 15, 2008

Scoop! of Plasma: Local Eateries Flagrantly Violating Flat Screen TV Law

One of the legions of intrepid reporters from the Alameda Daily Noose was recently sent the tip that several Alameda eateries are in violation of the City's recent Flat Screen TV Law, enacted in 2007, which stipulates that all Alameda restaurants, cafés, and bars must have one or more Flat Screen Televisions visible and turned on during business hours. While some eateries complied quickly or even as soon as they opened their doors, such as Fido's Pizza and Kama'aina Hawaiian BBQ, there are a number of businesses who are flagrantly disregarding this rule.

A brief survey on Park Street revealed more than half a dozen such violations, including Gillian's Tea Oasis, L'Argent, and Jonny Juice. When asked how they could dare not have a Television for their customers, none of the employees of these establishments were even aware of the law.

In addition, we found a number of businesses that may be technically in compliance with the law, but were in violation of the spirit of the law. Some, such as Jolly Java, have opted to show rotating computer-generated advertisements; others have the TV screen clearly on, but not hooked to any signal whatsoever.

Editor's Note:

It is outrageous that some businesses are allowed to keep their doors open when they are refusing to give their customers access to Television. The Alameda Daily Noose and I encourage our readers to report violations to the Alameda Police Department. We also encourage you to thank the law-abiding establishments and thank their owners for providing Television entertainment. We've also noticed other businesses helping contribute to full TV availability, even though there is not (yet) a TV law, such as Patrick-Henry Bank on Otis Drive and Sunocal service station on Encinal. Let's hear it for the businesses that are doing their part to make sure that we are never without Television!

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