Lower Haight Jazz Cafe Wins Permit After Neighbors Rally to Its Defense
Entertainment Commission • San FranciscoOctober 20, 2026
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A Haight Street cafe that has hosted jazz since 1998, without the permit it needed, is now legal. The San Francisco Entertainment Commission voted 5-0 on Oct. 20, 2026, to grant Café International a Limited Live Performance permit after a parade of musicians and neighbors testified on its behalf. Commissioners also approved permits for Mars Bar in SoMa and for a Mission Street pub owned by one of their own colleagues.
- Café International permit approved 5-0 after commissioners pulled it from consent to hear supporters
- Mars Bar's new owner keeps outdoor amplified sound in a 5-0 change-of-ownership vote
- St Mary's Pub wins entertainment permit with Commissioner Maria Davis recused as the applicant
A Lower Haight Fixture Gets Legal
The basics: A Limited Live Performance permit allows small-scale entertainment within set hours and sound limits. It is the Commission's entry-level permit for cafes and restaurants.
Why it matters: Café International at 508 Haight St has served the Lower Haight since 1998, but staff discovered in the past year that it held no permit. Approval protects its Sunday jazz jam, which supporters described as a neighborhood institution.
Where things stand: Sound complaints brought the cafe to staff's attention, and it then applied. The cafe conducted neighborhood outreach, but staff said "they did receive one letter of opposition along with some supplemental documentation," according to Deputy Director Kaitlyn Azevedo.
The permit allows entertainment daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., with doors and windows open from noon to 5 p.m. The San Francisco Police Department added no conditions.
A packed room of supporters: The item was originally on the consent calendar, which is reserved for routine items approved without discussion. A commissioner moved to pull it to the regular agenda as a courtesy so the applicant could speak. That motion passed 5-0.
Testimony was uniformly supportive. Two written comments were read into the record. One called the Sunday jam a lifeline and a community. The other called the cafe a cornerstone and blamed gentrifiers for bringing the matter before the Commission.
Seven people spoke in person:
- Sam Wesley, a Page Street neighbor, described a longtime jazz tradition that builds community.
- Rohan said the Sunday jam is a fixture of his week and its loss would devastate the community.
- Eli, a saxophone player, called the cafe a treasure that aided his musical development.
- Candy Smallwood, a longtime resident, linked the cafe to the San Francisco she grew up in.
- Joe Penn, who lives a block away, praised the free, diverse Sunday gathering and credited the owner.
- A musician said he and his brother started playing jazz at the cafe 30 years ago.
- Jessica Pesico urged the Commission to keep the cafe open.
The other side: No opponent spoke at the hearing. The single opposition letter remains on file, and its contents were not discussed publicly.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The applicant, listed on the agenda as Zahra Saleh, thanked staff. Saleh said the permit would let the cafe keep offering small, community-focused live performance and pledged to keep sound at appropriate levels.
When the applicant offered free coffee, Commission President Ben Bleiman reminded colleagues, "we cannot accept anything for free." After the vote, Bleiman read the standard finding that "none of the denial criteria under Police Code Article 15.1 and 15.2 apply to the applicant."
The vote was For: 5 (Bleiman, Davis, Leonard Poggio, Anthony Schlander, Laura Thomas), Against: 0, Absent: 1 (Vice President Cyn Wang).
For musicians and regulars, the jam now operates on solid legal footing. Neighbors with sound concerns now have defined hours and a permit that can be enforced.
What's next: The permit was conditionally granted with staff recommendations. Future sound complaints would go through the Commission's enforcement process.
Mars Bar's New Owner Bets on Comedy and Salsa
Why it matters: The change of ownership preserves indoor and outdoor entertainment, including amplified outdoor sound, at 798 Brannan St. The new owner is trying to rebuild a business hurt after COVID.
Where things stand: Staff said the new owner will use the permit the same way the prior owner did:
- Indoor entertainment runs daily until 11 p.m.
- Outdoor entertainment runs daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., capped at six hours.
- Outdoor amplified sound runs Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., capped at six hours.
- Outdoor amplified sound on Fridays and Saturdays is capped at eight hours.
No neighbors opposed the permit. Commission staff set sound limits, and SFPD Southern Station attached its standard calendaring condition.
Owner Mike Awadallah of MARS BAR SF, LLC cited decades of restaurant experience. He outlined plans for stand-up comedy, karaoke, DJs and a salsa group. "We are hoping that we can revive the business again with updating, with a new menu," Awadallah said.
He said he would lower the music and bring patrons inside if neighbors complain. "Plus we do have monitors for the music level inside our restaurant," he said.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Bleiman urged Awadallah to learn the Good Neighbor Policy. Bleiman noted that "part of it actually protects the businesses" when they act within its terms and their sound limits. Pesico spoke in support.
The permit passed For: 5 (Bleiman, Davis, Poggio, Schlander, Thomas), Against: 0, Absent: 1 (Wang).
Commissioner's Own Pub Gets Late-Night Permit
Why it matters: St Mary's Pub at 3845 Mission St can now host entertainment until 2 a.m. Under its prior permit, entertainment ended around 11 p.m. The applicant, Commissioner Maria Davis, recused herself from the vote.
Where things stand: The pub has held a Limited Live Performance permit since 2019 with no enforcement history, staff said. It keeps an internal sound limit and sent letters to neighbors. It drew no opposition and three letters of support.
The new Place of Entertainment permit carries one police condition. "SFPD Ingleside Station is recommending that the security guard conduct bag checks at the door on nights with entertainment," Azevedo said.
Speaking as the applicant, Davis said the permit would mainly let vinyl DJs play past 11 p.m. two or three times a month. Occasional karaoke or a cover band would round out the schedule. "We probably would stop the DJs at 1:30," she said. Davis added that "the upstairs neighbor is my co-owner of the building."
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No public comment was offered. Commissioners Bleiman, Poggio and Schlander voted yes. Davis was recused and Wang was absent. Commissioner Thomas's vote could not be confirmed. Bleiman announced the permit conditionally granted.
The recusal kept Davis out of the decision on her own business. The vote count, however, remains unverified.
Minor Items
- Resto Bar cited: Now doing business as Area Event Space at 2300 Chestnut St, the venue was cited Oct. 15. An inspector found a two-piece band playing outdoors on Oct. 11, which its permit does not allow.
- 81 Cedar hearing: Staff plan to bring the 81 Cedar matter before the Commission at its Nov. 30 hearing.
- District 10 requests: Pesico asked for more events and transit help to reach events in District 10, "my district." She also asked about 4 a.m. bar hours and urged action on undisclosed surge pricing.
- Minutes approved: The Oct. 6, 2026, meeting minutes passed 5-0.
Looking Ahead
The Commission's holiday party is set for Wednesday, Dec. 9, with the location to be determined. Bleiman said he will bring a one-time permit for the after-party of an upcoming Front Street Halloween event.