Despite engaging in litigation with the city of Chula Vista, the owner of the controversial Eyecandy Showgirls gentleman’s club wants to do something nice for the community.
Randy Welty said he wants to give back to the community by helping the city finance its much-glamorized bayfront project and by putting on several economically challenged community events.
Welty said Chula Vista has the potential to flourish with the bayfront project, and he said he wants to help the city come alive.
“I have looked at Chula Vista for a long time, many years as a matter of fact, as a community that stands a chance at being able to make a change with how it can make the transition into new life,” he said.
Welty said Chula Vista needs to get a way from its “Chula Juana” reputation and move forward on creating a new identity.
Welty, who owns several adult entertainment businesses in Southern California, said with his newest adult business already planted on the bayfront, and with the expected move of the Village Club Card Room to the bayfront, Chula Vista could be the entertainment capital of the South Bay.
“That cosmopolitan attitude and preference in how a city behaves is what is commendable and draws people in,” Welty said. “So yes, I consider myself a benefit to the city for that.”
Welty said his charitable giving isn’t stopping with the bayfront project.
He said he plans on hosting several community events such as next year’s Fourth of July fireworks show and this year’s Starlight Parade.
Chula Vista’s financial state in the last few years has prevented the city from celebrating the nation’s independence with a fireworks display.
According to the city of Chula Vista’s Twitter account, the total estimated cost of putting on a fireworks show runs about $75,000, which includes traffic, crowd control, cleanup and security.
Welty said he doesn’t mind footing the entire bill, although he said it would make more economic sense for the city to host the holiday event than to continue with litigation.
“$75,000 is not an insignificant number, but it’s insignificant to the cost it’s going to take to fight me,” he said.
Welty said fireworks are important for Chula Vistans because they need to celebrate the freedoms they have, the same freedoms he said that give his business the right to operate.
The Starlight Parade is a Third Avenue Village Association production.
Luanne Hulsizer, executive director with TAVA, said the winter parade isn’t going to happen this year.
“The Starlight Parade right now does not have a home,” Hulsizer said. “At this point, the board of directors voted to not financially support the parade.”
Hulsizer said funding for the event comes from tax assessment, business property taxes or business licenses taxes.
The total cost to put on the show is about $34,000 to $36,000, Hulsizer said.
When Hulsizer was asked if TAVA would accept any financial backing from Welty to revive the event, she said: “I can’t speak to that because that is a board decision. All financial decisions go through the board.”
Hulsizer said TAVA is a non-profit 501(C)(6), meaning any financial donation toward the event is not tax deductible.
Hulsizer said any business leader who is interested in the traditional parade can contact her.
Welty said, if nothing else, he wants the annual parade to go on for the sake of the children in the community.
“Christmas parades and those little celebrations that are the joy of childhood, we need to support all of those to the fullest, to the greatest extent that we can afford,” he said.
“Children are the most important asset that the human race has.”
Welty added that Eyecandy is already doing its part in helping Chula Vista’s economy.
“I try to make it our policy that if we need to hire someone for a position, we look first at the people that applied that are residents of Chula Vista so that money could be recycled within the community,” Welty said.
