Google Says It Supports Punch Line, Plans To Lease Space Next Door
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Google denied allegations by local comedians and San Francisco city officials that it will acquire the venue of the Punch Line comedy club, saying it has leased the space next door.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin said Tuesday at a rally on the steps of City Hall to save the Punch Line, attended by local comics and world-renowned comedian Dave Chappelle, that the club will have to relocate when its lease expires in August and hinted that it will be replaced by Google.
The company said it does not want to jeopardize the future of the comedy club, which is located in the city's Financial District.
"As a neighbor, Google is committed to trying to find a way for the Punch Line to remain a vibrant part of the Bay Area community for years to come," a spokesperson for the search giant said Wednesday.
However, Peskin maintained that he was talking with Google as part of his three-fold plan to save the Punch Line.
"I have been in direct communication with Google specifically about the Punch Line site, and I am cautiously optimistic," Peskin said Wednesday. "Regardless, the clock is ticking on the Punch Line's future, so I am pushing forward with my Punch Line Preservation legislation."
Peskin talked Tuesday about his three-fold plan to save the business -- proposing an "interim zoning moratorium" to the board, beginning talks with the new lessee, and nominating the club as a legacy business, which would make it eligible for financial assistance from the city.
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