San Clemente : Council Corrects Boo-Boo in Law Governing Booze
A 30-year-old law prohibiting public drinking in San Clemente, accidentally repealed by the City Council two years ago, was hastily reinstated by unanimous vote Wednesday.
City Manager Jim Hendrickson said the foul-up occurred in 1983 when the council, at the request of the police, was revising the ordinance to ban sales of alcohol in public. The council inadvertently legalized consumption of strong drink in public. “When that item was inserted, there was an oversight and that portion of the ordinance was amended out,” he said.
Police continued to enforce the nonexistent law until the glitch was discovered while processing a Chamber of Commerce request for a permit to sell alcohol at a community festival, Hendrickson said.
“We haven’t been able to discern that anyone has been incarcerated under the ordinance, and incidents were minimal,” Hendrickson said.
The dozen or so people who were cited while the ordinance was not in effect are entitled to a refund of the $25 fines, he added.
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