Bottling Up Bars : Activist Opposes Licenses Until Businesses Use Alcohol Abuse Programs

Like thousands of other Westside residents, Beverly Hills pediatrician Trisha Roth has discovered that the rejuvenated 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica now boasts a thriving night life and an impressive array of trendy restaurants and bars.

Some restaurant and bar owners wish she had not.

Roth has made a name for herself in her home city as a vigorous and sometimes strident opponent of alcohol abuse. She has campaigned before the City Council, school board and PTA for programs to prevent the serving of alcohol to minors and to discourage drinkers from driving. In her unsuccessful effort to win a seat on the Beverly Hills City Council earlier this year, an anti-alcohol message was a major component of her campaign.

Now, she is branching out. In recent months, Roth has been raising objections before the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department to liquor license applications from new Westside businesses, and she has paid particular attention to the three-block outdoor mall.

The protests have forced the state agency to hold a hearing before granting a license, a process that can hold up a license for months. Roth does not withdraw her protests unless the applicants agree to implement programs encouraging responsible drinking.

Her latest protest is over a liquor license sought by the Golden Monkey Cafe, which is scheduled to open in February on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and 3rd Street.

Roth says she is pleased that she has found a way to force establishments that seek liquor licenses to develop designated-driver programs, but she complains that some restaurants have gone back on their word and have done little or nothing to discourage drinking and driving once the licenses have been issued.

Carl Falletta, a spokesman for the Alcoholic Beverage Control Department, said that new applications for full liquor licenses generally take about three months to approve but that a protest such as Roth’s can extend the process to a year.

The state does not require licensees to have designated driver or server training programs, Falletta said.

Thomas H. Carroll, executive director of the Bayside District Corp., the nonprofit group that manages the Promenade, said most proprietors are responsible and have drunk-driving programs, although perhaps not at the level Roth would like.

Carroll said owners realize that the sale of alcohol is vital to the success of their businesses, and they do not want to risk losing their licenses.

Carroll said the idea of a coordinated designated-driver program for the Promenade will be among the items discussed at a meeting of proprietors this week.

Councilman Dennis Zane, a force in the mall’s renovation, said that he believes most proprietors are acting responsibly but that the city may be in a position to encourage more cooperation from licensees.

Roth insists that she is not singling out the Promenade in her campaign. In fact, she makes protests most new license applications on the Westside. It is with the Promenade protests that she has managed to draw city officials and licensees into at least preliminary negotiations for a comprehensive policy for businesses.

Roth says, ideally, she would want a highly visible program at every liquor-serving establishment and that every group of patrons has a designated driver. That person would wear a button and would be served free coffee or soft drinks. She said she would also like to see so-called notices posted at each table warning against the dangers of drinking and driving.

Randy Larscheid, general manager of the Golden Monkey Cafe, said his 344-seat restaurant will have such a program in place for its late-February opening.

Another Promenade restaurant, Chillers, has printed the phrase “Please don’t drink and drive” on plastic cups that customers can take home. That was part of an agreement that owners had to make to get Roth to withdraw her protest of their liquor license earlier this year.

Chillers, which attracts a college crowd, also provides a “party bus” on Tuesday nights to provide transportation for UCLA and USC students.

Not all Promenade restaurant owners feel they have to go that far to promote responsible drinking.

“Anything we can do to make everybody safe is good, but I’m not going to make anyone wear a badge,” said Jivan Tabibian, managing owner of Remi, a new Italian restaurant.