From: Jonathan Lewis
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2026 1:00 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Public Comment for March 16, 2026
Hi City Clerk Lindsay Lara,
Below is my public comment for tonight's city council meeting.
Hello City Council, my name is Jonathan Lewis, and I am seeking your help in holding the Code Enforcement Office responsible for its failure to take enforcement action against The Gold Drop at 901 Irwin Street.
The Gold Drop has continued to violate its Use Permit (UP11-022) and Master Sign Program over the last several months despite my repeated complaints to Hector Carlos and Micah Hinkle. Condition 12 of their Use Permit explicitly prohibits any neon signs, and pages 9 and 10 of the French Quarter Master Sign Program explicitly prohibit "all window signs." These conditions were created after decades of signage issues at The Gold Drop, of which Code Enforcement should be aware.
The city has enforced the conditions of The Gold Drop's Use Permit and Master Sign Program several times by ordering the business to remove its illuminated signage, as shown in code enforcement action CE10-211. In that code enforcement action, Officer DJ Heckler took the same action I am requesting: removal of all window signs and illuminated signs. However, Hector Carlos and Micah Hinkle have (1) continued to ignore my complaints and (2) refused to enforce The Gold Drop's Use Permit (UP11-022) and Master Sign Program.
Hector Carlos claimed that he issued two citations to The Gold Drop last year. However, Hector Carlos has not ensured the business pays these citations, as they remain unpaid and likely will not be paid, given Hector Carlos's clear inability to enforce city code.
I am requesting your assistance in ensuring that Code Enforcement and Officer Hector Carlos fulfill their obligations to enforce city code, as they have (1) failed to order The Gold Drop to remove all visible illuminated signs pursuant to their Use Permit (UP11-022) and Master Sign Program and (2) made misleading claims about issuing citations but omitting that they took not steps to ensure they were paid.
Jonathan Lewis