Local News in Brief : San Fernando Requires Liquor Stores to Obtain City Permits

The San Fernando City Council has voted to require stores to obtain city permits before selling alcoholic beverages.

The council unanimously approved an urgency ordinance--a temporary measure that is expected to be followed by a permanent ordinance--requiring the liquor permits after lobbying from a community group, which complained that San Fernando’s many liquor stores contribute to crime and delinquency. The urgency ordinance will be in effect for 45 days and could be extended by 10 months, a city official said.

The council, acting Monday night, stopped short of a moratorium on new liquor stores as the community group had requested. But it directed the city’s Planning Commission to consider proximity to other liquor and convenience stores, and problems such as loitering and public drunkenness, before authorizing liquor stores, according to Planning Director Norm Canchola.

Under the ordinance, the Planning Commission must hold public hearings before granting conditional-use permits allowing liquor sales.

Ray Silva, a leader of the community group Vecinos Unidos, which means United Neighbors in Spanish, said the council’s action was “a watered-down victory.”