In an undated note posted on its door this week, Black ’N Blue, a restaurant and bar at the Valencia Town Center, announced: “Due to forces out of our control, we will be moving our business to a more entertainment-friendly city.”
A representative of the Zao Group, which owns Black ’N Blue, did not respond to a request for comment Friday. The city declined to address the business’ statements Friday.
Shaun Lester, a manager for Wokano, which is owned by the same ownership group, confirmed the closure Friday, adding he was not aware of a new location at this time.
However, an Alcoholic Beverage Control spokesman shared a complaint Friday filed October 2023, which cites two counts alleging “cause for suspension or revocation of the license.”
He said the agency likely would have more information next week about the investigation’s status.
The accusation, which is anonymous, states, “It is further alleged that the continuance of the license would be contrary to public welfare and/or morals,” adding that from April 4, 2021, to Jan. 7, 2023, the licensee “permitted or suffered the above-designated premises to be used in a manner which did create a law enforcement problem for the law enforcement officials of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”
The formal accusation, which was investigated by the ABC, cites 19 different criminal incidents that originated from the location, ranging from public intoxication April 4 to a sexual assault of an intoxicated woman reported in November 2021 to assault with a deadly weapon on Halloween in 2023.
Devin Blankenship, public information officer for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, said a complaint kicks off the process, but then the agency conducts its own investigation.
“It’s department policy not to release the information of those who file the complaint but to investigate every complaint,” he said Friday.
The agency uses a variety of different methods, he added, including undercover operations, to review complaints.
