Layoffs Will Harm Liquor Agency, State Officials Say : Budget: Mothers Against Drunk Driving criticizes the plan. More than half of the tri-county area’s investigators could be let go.

State officials in Ventura County warned Thursday that a proposal to lay off liquor board agents will cripple an agency that turns a profit for the state, and said the plan could lead to increased drinking by teen-agers.

More than half of the investigators for the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control office that oversees Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties face layoffs under Gov. Pete Wilson’s budget-cutting plan.

Formal layoff notices reportedly will go out in the next few days.

“It seems to go against Economics 101,” said Ed Macias, ABC’s district supervisor for the tri-county area.

“Statewide, we have a budget of between $22 million and $23 million, and we collect over $35 million in license fees and fines. In our office alone, we collect twice as much as our budget,” he said.

The ABC licenses liquor outlets and investigates and enforces state liquor laws, such as the prohibition on underage drinking.

Under the governor’s plan, in November the tri-county office will lose six or seven of its nine investigators. The branch office in San Luis Obispo, where two of those investigators are based, will shut down, Macias said.

The remaining investigators face 5% pay cuts, and Macias may be demoted from a supervisor to an investigator, he said.

Another supervisor will retire, and two clerical positions will be eliminated, leaving one supervisor, two or three inspectors and one clerk to oversee about 3,200 liquor outlets in the three counties, Macias said.

As a result of the cuts, processing a liquor license will take up to six months rather than 30 to 45 days, local ABC officials said. And the budget cuts will eliminate 99.9% of the ABC’s ability to enforce drinking laws, Macias said.

State officials said they hope that local law enforcement agencies will pick up the slack, but Ventura County Sheriff John Gillespie said those hopes are unrealistic.

“We have not expanded our personnel, except in our jail, for the past five or six years,” he said. “We’ll do our best, but we don’t have the resources to substantially expand our operations.”

Gillespie said the governor’s decision dealt a blow to the county’s efforts to fight drugs and substance abuse. Underage drinking often leads to drug abuse, he said.

“I’m in shock,” he said. “We’re supposed to be waging a war on drugs, a war on substance abuse. Boy, the ABC doesn’t seem to be the place to be making cuts.”

A representative of Mothers Against Drunk Driving shared the sheriff’s disappointment.

“This decision is very unfortunate,” said Linda Sanchez, an administrator at MADD’s Ventura chapter.

“Drunk driving is already the No. 1 cause of death among teen-agers. It’s hard enough to keep track of the problem as it is, and now it’s going to be even harder.”

In Santa Paula--where the ABC was instrumental in shutting down La Hacienda Bar in May after residents complained about brawls, public drunkenness and disturbances--city officials said the state agency’s cooperation will be missed.

“The ABC was an extremely valuable asset, policing bars and liquor stores to make sure everybody obeys drinking laws,” said Paul Eckert, assistant city administrator.

ABC officials at the Santa Barbara office were dejected Thursday.

“We took a broadside hit, we’re a sinking ship,” said Richard Feldan, an investigator and 20-year department veteran.

“I’m numb,” said Macias. “The worst part of all this is that all the bad liquor store and bar owners have heard the news and know they’re going to have a carte blanche to do whatever they want.”