L.A. Council OKs Law to Restrict New Liquor Stores

Spurred by complaints about the proliferation of local liquor stores, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday adopted a stringent, citywide law that would make it tougher to open new liquor stores in single-family residential neighborhoods or around churches, schools and hospitals.

The council, in a unanimous vote, approved the proposed ordinance requiring anyone seeking to sell alcoholic beverages--including liquor stores, convenience stores, supermarkets, service stations and drugstores--to obtain a permit from a city zoning administrator.

Property owners within 300 feet of a store planning to sell alcohol, including beer and wine, would have to be notified. And under the proposal, a public hearing would be required before a permit could be issued.

Finn Proposal

“I think the main thing is that this will prevent the concentration of liquor stores in neighborhoods,” said Councilman Howard Finn, who first proposed the restrictions.

A similar ordinance governing liquor outlets in South-Central Los Angeles has been in force since last April, but this is the first time that a citywide ordinance has been attempted.

Finn said he expected Mayor Tom Bradley to sign the ordinance, but a spokeswoman for the mayor said Tuesday that Bradley would have no comment until he had a chance to read the proposal.

The ordinance itself, which has been the subject of a series of public hearings, passed without debate. All 13 council members present voted to adopt the ordinance despite a concerted effort by the liquor retailers to defeat it.

A spokesman for the California Retail Liquor Dealers Assn., which represents 2,000 statewide members, including 800 in Southern California, insisted that the ordinance is unnecessary in an industry that is regulated by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

“We’re opposed to this. There are more than adequate safeguards with the state ABC,” said Judy Ashley in a telephone interview from Sacramento.

While bars and restaurants are already required to obtain city permits to serve liquor, only the state Department of Alcohol Beverage Control regulates retail liquor dealers.

Supporters of the ordinance passed Tuesday say that the current system does not protect against a concentration of liquor stores within a particular area.

Under the new ordinance, the board would not be able to grant a liquor license until a business obtains a required conditional-use permit from the city. And such a permit could be denied if a zoning administrator rules that the business is adjacent to single-family residences, hospitals, schools or parks.

Cause for Denial

The permit could also be denied if the business is considered too close to other liquor establishments. Although any denial could be appealed to the City Council, council members have said they would be wary about approving permits that have been turned down.

“Whenever any particular land use has an adverse impact on a neighborhood--whether residential or commercial--we have a duty to exercise appropriate controls,” Finn said.

Residents in Pacoima, which is located in Finn’s east San Fernando Valley district, as well as residents in East Los Angeles and Hollywood helped push the ordinance forward by railing against the growing number of liquor outlets in their neighborhoods.

Those complaints focused on neighborhood problems that critics link to liquor stores, including crime, loitering, littering, public drunkenness and the illegal sale of alcohol to minors. The Los Angeles Planning Department, which pushed for the citywide ordinance, also noted that problems around liquor stores have had “a blighting influence on neighborhoods and an adverse effect on property values and neighborhood tranquility.”

However, liquor store operators have disputed those charges. And in Sacramento, Ashley said: “Most of them are honest businessmen. There are rotten apples in any group but the vast majority of them are good, honest citizens.”

Public Protests

Widespread public protests in South-Central Los Angeles, led by a coalition of church groups, had pushed through a crackdown on liquor stores and last year’s ordinance. That law not only affects new liquor stores but existing businesses that may have changed ownership or management.

The Planning Commission hears cases involving South-Central. Since that ordinance took effect last April, a dozen applicants have filed for conditional-use permits with the city and half have been turned down, according to Darryl Fisher, an associate zoning administrator with the city.

Fisher added that about 300 applicants annually would be affected by the ordinance.

“We’re talking about department stores and supermarkets as well as the corner drugstore,” he said. “Every establishment that needs an ABC permit to sell liquor will be involved.”

Ammunition Bunkers

In other action Tuesday, the City Council gave the financial go-ahead to build two new ammunition bunkers on the Police Academy grounds in Elysian Park despite the opposition of some local residents.

The council voted unanimously to spend $285,000 to construct the concrete bunkers that will house explosive devices seized by police during their investigations. Those explosives are now stored in two concrete buildings at Griffith Park, which police contend are unsafe.