THEIR TURN ON CLEAN-UP DUTY TEACHERS CAMPAIGN TO RUN HEAD SHOPS, NUDE CLUB OUT OF CANOGA PARK.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

Downtown Canoga Park bustles with antique shops, restaurants and the 450-seat Madrid Theatre. But a pair of local teachers say there's still something rotten in Canoga Park's core: businesses that peddle drug paraphernalia and nude dancing to passers-by.

The teachers have launched a letter-writing campaign to pressure two stores that sell drug-related products and a nude dancing club to move from Sherman Way.

Paul White and Robert McGill, who teach at West Valley Leadership Academy, an alternative school on Sherman Way a half-mile west of downtown Canoga Park, say the businesses expose children to bad influences.

They've written letters to city officials, police, the media, the business owners and their landlords, saying the businesses contribute to the ``ghetto-ization'' of Canoga Park and should move.

``Head shops, strip clubs and the like are setting a bad example for impressionable children,'' McGill said. ``You want your daughter to aspire to college, not to become a stripper.''

The teachers insist they aren't puritans on a moral crusade. Their 32 students, who include teens on criminal probation and who were expelled from other schools, have dabbled in many of the vices that White and McGill accuse the stores of promoting.

One of their students, 16-year-old Michael Urquidi of Canoga Park, was fatally shot outside the school in January 2002 in an apparent gang crime - an event the teachers say spurred their social activism.

``What motivates me is that kids - ours and everybody's - increasingly live in dysfunctional homes,'' White said. ``If the community doesn't take responsibility, we all pay the price.''

The managers of the targeted businesses say that however noble the teachers' goals are, their campaign is misdirected. Instead of trying to close or move law-abiding businesses, the teachers should focus on helping their children become productive citizens, the store managers said.

White and McGill are targeting Night Gallery, which sells smoking accessories, incense and clothing; Lions Lair, which sells smoking accessories, jewelry and hemp products; and Gotham City, a strip club whose liquor license was revoked in May over allegations of lewd conduct by dancers.

Alan Martin, manager of Lions Lair, said he shares White and McGill's goal of shielding children from negative influences. A section of Lions Lair with pipes used to smoke marijuana is marked off-limits to anyone younger than 18 unless accompanied by a parent. Martin said he had to add the exception for children accompanied by parents because one mother insisted on showing her teenage children the pipes and other paraphernalia.

``Obviously a lot of that (prevention) has to start at home,'' Martin said. ``When you have parents coming in, buying that stuff, it definitely sends a mixed message.''

The main section of Lions Lair includes the marijuana-oriented magazine High Times and books about the drug. But Martin said the store isn't promoting illegal drug use, but rather providing educational materials.

At Night Gallery nearby, the displays containing pipes and other drug-related products also are walled off from children. The store's manager, who would only give her first name, Denise, said White and McGill are overlooking more serious problems such as prostitution on Sherman Way.

Most of her youthful customers couldn't afford the drug-related products even if they were allowed to buy them, Denise said.

``From the movies to MTV, they're going to be exposed to a hell of a lot more than they are at my store,'' she said.

The Gotham City manager, who would give only his first name, George, said no one younger than 18 is allowed in the club. He said the club rigorously checks identification and there have been no problems with minors sneaking in.

White and McGill said they have attempted to enlist Councilman Dennis Zine, who represents Canoga Park, and the Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber of Commerce to lobby the businesses to move off Sherman Way. The teachers said neither Zine nor the chamber has shown any interest in the issue.

``Zine tells us his job is enhancing our quality of life,'' White said. ``His job is leadership - you see a community fall away, fall apart, and he's not providing any vision.''

Zine disagreed. He said downtown Canoga Park has been revitalized with new stores, restaurants and the Madrid Theatre, a former cabaret venue. Zine said the teachers are insulting residents and business owners by likening Sherman Way to a ghetto.

After checking with the Los Angeles Police Department - where he was a veteran traffic officer and still works as a reserve officer - Zine said there is no evidence that the head shops or the strip club is a law-enforcement nuisance.

``Those businesses have been there for a long time,'' Zine said. ``(White) may not like it, but what if he doesn't like the sandwich shop or the beauty parlor? What are we going to do about it? I may not like it personally, but I have an obligation as an elected official to uphold the Constitution.''

James Nash, [phone]

james.nash(at)dailynews.com

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photo, map

Photo:

Paul White and Robert McGill say the businesses that offer drug paraphernalia and nude dancing don't belong in Canoga Park. They have written letters to officials in hopes of pressuring the businesses to leave Sherman Way.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Map:

Teachers' targeted area

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