Photograph by Skye Dunlap

James Morris, 19, son of Bank Shot Billiards owner Jeanne Morris, will be able to shoot pool in his mother's establishment following a vote by the Sunnyvale City Council.




A break with the past

Pool halls will soon be permitted to let 18-year-olds onto the tables

By Sam Scott

With two billiard parlors only a short walk from each other, downtown Sunnyvale is something of a poolroom hotspot. It's the kind of place where more than a few players can pot the six-ball and then pull the cue-ball back like it's a yo-yo.

Running a billiards hall in Sunnyvale, however, is like playing on a table with especially small pockets. There's an unusual obstacle to success: Sunnyvale, unlike San Jose, Milpitas, Mountain View or Santa Clara, prohibits beer-serving billiard halls from admitting adults under 21.

Tuesday, the city council took the first step towards lifting the ban for a six-month trial period that begins in January. It's a move that delights Jeannie Morris, the owner of Bank Shot Billiards near the main post office.

"It's a relief. I don't know what to say," she says. "I'm overwhelmed. I've been trying to get this done for over a year now."

Morris says she had been writing letters to the city for years, to no avail, when she ran into councilmembers Manuel Valerio and Jack Walker playing at her place.

"You're just the people I want to talk to," she remembers telling them. After a short visit during which Morris explained her predicament, she says, the city moved quickly.

Walker says the action was taken because the law is inconsistent and prejudicial towards billiards.

"We have no restriction on other places that also serve beer--like pizza parlors," says Vice-Mayor Jack Walkers. "It seemed to be some what of an anachronistic law."

That thought was shared by the council, which voted unanimously to accept the resolution. The final vote is next week.

"If we wish to keep people under 21 out of all places that serve beer and wine, we'd be keeping them out of the Safeway down the street," Councilmember Fred Fowler says.

A passionate pool player with hopes of being a pro, Morris says she had planned to buy a pool hall when she retired from Hewlett Packard. Instead, the opportunity came to her a decade ahead of time when the previous owner said he was closing down.

The small business classes she took helped, but Morris says she finds running the venue difficult.

"I'm struggling and doing every thing possible that I can do to help my business."

She scouted other pool halls to find out what they were doing to succeed. She found a place in San Jose that was packed on a Wednesday Night. It was Ladies Night and most of the women were under 21.

James Morris, one of Jeannie's two 19-year-old children, cleans the place, but doesn't get to play in it. He says the move is a good one.

"There's a lot of kids out there who want to play pool and they don' t have cars to get to other places. They should be able to play in their own city," he says. "There really isn't much to do in Sunnyvale."

James says he plays in Mountain View.

Jeannie Morris, intent on making the change permanent, says she is going to use a special stamp on the hands of legal drinkers to make sure no underage drinking goes on.

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