Owner of shuttered Faultline Bar, Ruby DeFresno (aka Ruby Nuno, Ruby DeFaultline), is under fire once again, this time for a completely tone deaf clip she posted on the Faultline Bar’s official social media platforms where a woman (presumably DeFresno) is using a crowbar to chip and tear out the Gold Coast Bar name located at the former bar’s parking lot. She vaguely suggests she’s trying to pry the Gold Coast loose to make it the new Faultline. DeFresno has been looking for a forever home for the legendary bar after it closed for good at its original location late last year.
“Faultline Bar is in West Hollywood,” reads the location tab on the clip, followed by the cryptic caption: “Still trying to pry loose a new location.”
“More action” someone is heard direction the crowbar wielding woman. “Yeah. Like you’re really working on it.”
The seven-second clip showing a woman pretending to stab at the only piece left of the beloved neighborhood watering hole was met with disgust and disbelief by some community members–many who are still mourning the loss of the Gold Coast Bar, which closed during the pandemic in September 2020, after serving the community for 39 years.
“The faultline folks are jerks,” Daniel Mosqueda commented on a gay Facebook group. “They don’t understand the love people had for that Gold Coast. They look so gross peeling it off. tone deaf as hell.”
“What the hell post is this?!: Wrote @jlangham “Wow! I guess the best way to break the news is to shit over the legacy of a historic gay bar and alienate its former patrons. Tone deaf. But what do you expect.”
“If it’s anything like the fault line [sic] after the new owner took over, it’s a definite no for me,” said Casey Duke.
“That’s pretty cunty,” posted Ezra Buzzington.
“The last incarnation of Faultline was way more suited to be in WeHo than in Silver Lake anyway. But moving into the Gold Coast space is insulting,” added Billy V Vaughn.
However, the biggest criticism of this recent publicity stunt comes from the actual Gold Coast Bar on Instagram: “Wow!! Don’t be aggressive…The GC was there for 39 years and acting like your breaking it down with your little tool…be respectful…Don’t fuck around!!!”
“I would suggest taking this post down and showing a bit of respect to the GC instead of being arrogant!!” @goldcoastweho added in another post. “If you decide to carry on with this and play it this way…Do so!! But remember….There are a lot of people who worked there and made the GC home. Be a fucking human being!!”
WEHO TIMES reader Westend Boy sent the following graphic in reference to a different Faultline scandal where the bar’s owner desecrated Judy Garland’s handprint and signature–a staple of the original bar, the Red Rouge, dating back to the 1950s – 1960s, when Judy’s husband Sid Luft owned it.
DeFresno admitted to tearing out the legendary Judy Garland keepsake located behind the bar and taking it for herself–adding insult to injury by writing her own name over the spot where Judy’s used to be. The handprint dated 1963, is now a chunk of cement in storage (allegedly, we don’t know for certain) as part of a “Faultline artifact” according to DeFresno.
Some fans of the Faultline Bar approve of the potential move. They posted heart and clapping hand emojis at the possibility of the Faultline moving to West Hollywood.
“Faultline at former GoldCoast Bar? I love that 👍🏼,” posted @_icesar.
“Wha??? So we moving to weho for beer bust now.. good to know,” posted @sew.cal.furball. “I’m very glad to see y’all still around. 👏👏😉”
“Do whatever the fuck you want,” posted @enchiladas__verdes. “People were mad when you bought faultline. People were mad when you had it. People were mad when you sold it. Now they’re mad AGAIN. With the amount of queer spaces being closed down the fact they on some type of witch hunt is beyond me. Show me where they pay your bills.”
There are those who are confused by the post and believe it is a done deal and the Faultline Bar is actually moving to the Gold Coast space, even though that has not actually been confirmed. Followers are spreading the news that the move is a statement of fact, when the post is more illusive, a tease, or suggestion without making any real tangible commitment. As of the posting of this piece, DeFresno is not confirming or denying the rumors she incited.
WEHO TIMES broke the news that the Faultline Bar closed at its home location some time in November or December of last year (they’re not saying when exactly). According to DeFresno, the bar was emptied out and most of its erotic art and neon lights were put into storage while the bar looks for a new home. She claims the bar is open for business, even though the bar vacated the building roughly five months ago and is essentially homeless as of the publishing of this article. DeFresno is also still holding photo ops in front of the former Faultline building and the bar is handing out awards as if the bar was still open when in fact it is not.
According to public records, Boldwell Inc is a business registered with the Office of Finance, City of Los Angeles. The Doing Business As (DBA) name is FAULTLINE BAR. Ruby Nuno is listed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Boldwell Inc. The business activity is listed as a drinking place (alcoholic beverages). The business was listed under the address 4216 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029-3509, as its business of operation since April 25, 2016. However, according to Boldwell’s most recent filing with the secretary of state, the primary place of business is no longer registered on Melrose Avenue. It is currently under a residential address on North Flores street in West Hollywood.
It is also interesting to note that Boldwell Inc took out two PPP loans, one in the amount of $49,300 to be allocated to the 4216 Melrose Avenue and another more recent one for $52,5000 to an address at 4126 Melrose Avenue (address could be a mistake where the 1-2 was mixed with the 2-1 in 4216).
The PPP loan for $52,500 has not been fully disbursed and was approved as recently as February 19, 2021, long after the bar closed at its home location.
The PPP government loans adding up to over $100,000 could explain why The Faultline Bar insists it is still open for business and why there are cryptic updates and posts showing the CEO of Boldwell Inc negotiating a new lease for the Faultline, teasing about what the patio can look like, the “see you soon” messaging and this most recent stunt hinting that the Faultline Bar could possibly (possibly not) be moving to West Hollywood into the Gold Coast Bar space.
Until we see a photo with Ruby DeFresno holding a lease next to Monte Overstreet, the landloard of the Gold Coast building, it is anyone’s guess what it all means. We will keep you posted as we learn more.
The wehotimes and Faultline saga continues. Ruby is tone death. Wehotimes needs to get over it. Ruby whatever her name has poor taste. wehotimes needs to learn how to take a joke. Don’t keep us posted. We don’t care.
Wow. You guys are such tools! Irony is a thing. Check it out. You don’t even know when you are being trolled. LOL. Also, one of your images in this story is totally photoshopped fake. If I was Ruby De Fresno I would be suing your asses right now. But she is probably too busy laughing at you to care.
HAHAHAHA!!! You’re right. Irony is a thing. The big irony is that you missed the irony in that photoshopped picture. It was making fun of what Ruby did to Judy Garland and you think it’s serious. Ruby plays too many games and people are not here for it. She doesn’t care. She is probably too busy laughing and spending some of that PPP money.
You both miss the irony. Irony is not like rain on your wedding day.
That location is too small & does not have a patio.
This seems like transphobia to me.
Really? That is a very odd thing to say considering the article never mentions the word trans not once. Naw. This just Ruby being Ruby. She shouldn’t get a free pass to behave this way just because she’s trans. We see the receipts. We see the lack of respect. Nothing trans about it.
What is your fucking obsession with Ruby!? People were mad that a trans woman was in charge of a leather bar, the Faultline sucked after Shawn Farnsworth sold it to some moron , then Ruby bought it and the transphobic fags were upset that a woman was in charge! Now y’all are being petty because she was PRETENDING to take down a sprayed on name on a parking space that NO ONE probably even noticed before!? Y’alls misogyny is showing, and it ain’t cute!
Well I didn’t know she was trans until you mentioned it. What I know from this article is that she is allegedly defrauding the state of 100k in money meant to bail out service people who’s jobs were affected by covid. Get worked up about that, why don’t you?