Las Vegas Sun

June 3, 2012

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ANSWERS: CLARK COUNTY:

Was there an ulterior motive in parking the stripper-mobile?

Déjà Vu, an all-nude club, has new license request before county

By (contact)

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Stripper-Mobile in Limbo

Stripper-Mobile in Limbo

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The stripper-mobile is off the streets for now, and the Clark County Commission has proposed to amend a law that would keep it off the streets for good. In this video, see footage of the truck in its prime and hear Deja Vu Showgirls marketing director Larry Beard defend his innovative advertising technique. Another business may have it driving down the street again within two weeks.

Stripper-Mobile

Launch slideshow »

Did the owners of Déjà Vu and Little Darlings all-nude clubs really stop running the stripper-mobile up and down Las Vegas Boulevard because “they want to be good citizens,” as their lawyer said?

He did say that. But there’s more to it. On Sept. 29, Déjà Vu management applied for an adult cabaret license and a tavern license. The latter is several steps from final approval.

So what does Déjà Vu’s decision to stop advertising with the stripper-mobile have to do with the tavern license issue?

Well, guess who has final say on the license? Clark County commissioners, some of whom have said they didn’t like the stripper-mobile.

So commissioners were holding the license approval over Déjà Vu’s head?

Steve Sisolak

Steve Sisolak

Commissioner Steve Sisolak, the one who called for action against the stripper-mobile, told the Sun he didn’t even know the liquor license was being sought.

Here’s another question: Why would Déjà Vu be willing to have its strippers keep some clothing on?

Because Clark County doesn’t grant tavern licenses to all-nude clubs, and Déjà Vu’s owners expect to make more money if they can sell drinks, which are notoriously high-priced at strip clubs.

•••

Las Vegas has announced that it will soon be laying off 19 employees because of decreasing tax revenue. When will we see layoffs at the county government center?

Sources say some managers will likely be laid off before Christmas. For fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1, 2010, the prediction is that the county will be in the hole to the tune of $129 million. Management-level employees were recently added to the list of people offered buyouts, and county officials are examining those jobs and plan to eliminate those not deemed crucial.

What about other employees, those not in management positions?

Sources say those cuts won’t occur until after the start of the new year.

•••

State Sen. Dave Parks, D-Las Vegas, recently stopped by the Las Vegas Sun’s cave of an office, situated in the Clark County Government Center behind the Clark County Commission chambers next to the video/audio control booth and just six steps from two ample garbage cans.

He was slumming?

Sen. David Parks

Sen. David Parks

He was schmoozing. By this time next year he hopes to have an office on the sixth floor, as a county commissioner. Because the Legislature moved primary elections up two months, to June instead of August, candidates are aligning with campaign managers to seek the seat Rory Reid will vacate to run for governor. Parks is the highest-profile name to come up so far, which will be a boon when seeking campaign dollars from increasingly stingy donors. Other candidates are Mary Beth Scow, who was term-limited off the Clark County School Board; Greg Esposito, a plumber and union chief; and Ron Newell, chairman of the Clark County Planning Commission.

Didn’t Parks just get elected to the state Senate?

In 2008 he did. Before that he had been in the state Assembly since 1997.

Parks wants to be a leader of Clark County government after just being a member of the Legislature that took hundreds of millions in tax revenue out of county coffers?

Parks’ explanation is that the state “had some very serious budgetary issues.” He added that he has a very sound understanding of budgets because he has built, audited and administered them for 27 years through his management experience with Las Vegas, Clark County and the Regional Transportation Commission.

His connection to the Legislature is important too, though, because “so much of what the county does is controlled by the state because Nevada laws give local municipalities relatively little autonomy,” he added.

Chris Giunchigliani and Tom Collins cited their Carson City experience when they successfully campaigned for their seats on the Clark County Commission.

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