Club owner defends reputation

The owner of a controversial strip club in Chula Vista stood outside Eyecandy Showgirls at 215 Bay Blvd. recently defending his adult-oriented business against allegations made in a 10 News report by an ex-Eyecandy employee.

Randy Welty dismissed allegations of drug use by dancers and prostitution on the premise.

Welty said the only drug that is frequent on his property is a “super-sized container” filled with Viagra, which he said is needed at his age.

He identified the anonymous woman and former stripper and said she is coming forward with these allegations because she took offense to a request to tone down her eye makeup.

Welty declined to say whether he fired the woman.

Of the allegations against Eyecandy, Welty admits his business does in fact offer nude lap dances, and he said he isn’t doing anything unlawful.

He also addressed an allegation that there was an expectation of sex at Eyecandy between dancers and customers.

The woman claimed in the report that if the dancers do not have sex or partake in lap dances and private dances it affects their standing as a dancer.

“Are people penalized for not having sex here? Uh, no, they’re not,” he said. “They will be penalized if they did have sex here.”

He said he would fire any employee if they had sex.

Welty also addressed the issue that his business is operating illegally in the city of Chula Vista.

“We’re not illegal. That’s how come the city is not down here throwing us out in the street, they’re trying to figure out how to make us illegal,” he said.

City Attorney Glen Googins would not comment regarding Welty’s remarks but said the city’s position is that Eyecandy is in violation of city codes.

“Eyecandy is in violation of both the city’s zoning code and the city’s adult operating standards, which clearly and specifically prohibit physical contact between performer and patron,” he said.

A section of  Chula Vista’s adult oriented business code states: “No performer or adult cabaret dancer shall be within six feet of a patron, measured horizontally, while the performer or adult cabaret dancer is performing live entertainment. While on stage, no performer or adult cabaret dancer shall have physical contact with any patron, and no patron shall have physical contact with any performer or adult cabaret dancer.”

Welty said the money that the city of Chula Vista is spending in litigation fighting him is best served for the Living Coast Discovery Center, which he called the most important thing in Chula Vista.

“We need to keep that nature center more than we need to keep me,” he said. “That is the most important thing we’ve got and it’s going broke.”