On a Saturday night at North Hollywood’s Club Cobra, a drag queen dressed as Miley Cyrus lip-synced to “Zombie” by the Cranberries, with Halloween decor and disco balls dangling from the ceiling. Muscular go-go dancers grooved in a cloud of rainbow fog while patrons vibed to hits by Selena and Bad Bunny. It wasn’t easy for the popular Latin LGBTQ+ nightclub to rebuild to this level of live entertainment after nearly going out of business because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The public health crisis shut the operation down for 18 months and left its owners hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Making matters worse, the U.S.
Small Business Administration has repeatedly denied Club Cobra’s application for COVID-19 relief money, alleging that the establishment offered services of a “prurient sexual nature.” For Marty Sokol, 56, owner of Club Cobra, the lack of government assistance has been frustrating and surprising. “We’re the good guys in this town,” Sokol said by phone.
“We’re the place you have your birthday party at. We’re the place you bring your tía to. .
.. It’s beyond insulting.
” (Tía is Spanish for aunt.) Sokol is one of multiple business owners who say they were unjustly denied money from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, launched by the federal government in 2021 to provide financial support of up to $10 million to arts and entertainment venues and promoters decimated by the pandemic. Some have taken legal action against t.
