LA’s rich are rushing to join a new class of members-only clubs — if they can get in
To get accepted into the exclusive private members clubs proliferating around Los Angeles, having a lot of money is just the start.
Bonus points if you’re young, successful and demonstrate a winning personality; these days, not being white also helps. Knowing someone who already made it behind the velvet rope and can vouch for you is a plus. You’ll need to fill out an online application, sit for an interview with the vetting committee and exercise patience: The most elite clubs have waitlists that stretch months if not years, with tens of thousands of names.
Once you get in — if you do — there are membership fees to pay (budget about $2,500 to $6,000 annually, though one upcoming San Francisco club is charging as much as $300,000 to join) and rules to follow: restricted cellphone use, no photos or videos, dress codes, guest allowance limits, laptops in designated spaces only. Come to see and be seen, but don’t tell anyone about it — identifying another member on social media or to the paparazzi is an almost guaranteed way to get kicked out for good.
None of that has deterred the droves of hopefuls vying for spots in the new class of members-only clubs. Nor,
