San Fernando Rejects Calls for More Liquor Workshops : Alcohol: The council has held two public sessions and enacted a six-month ban on new sales permits.

The San Fernando City Council on Monday rejected a request by anti-liquor activists to hold a third public workshop on a proposal to limit alcohol sales in the small city.

Council members pointed out they have already held two public workshops this summer and enacted a six-month moratorium on issuance of sales permits to give planners time to draft new rules limiting the number of businesses selling alcohol. The moratorium expires Feb. 28.

“There’s no need to have another workshop soon--we have to digest what we have learned so far,” said Councilman Doude Wysbeek.

But the council appeared willing to hold a workshop once city planners finish drafting their proposal, expected by the end of October. The council did not vote on the issue because the item was not on its agenda, as required by state law.

Key differences have emerged between the proposal being drafted by city planners and one endorsed by members of the San Fernando chapter of Valley Organized in Community Efforts.

VOICE had asked for a third workshop, saying it was needed to discuss previously unaddressed issues, such as how to enforce any new regulations the city imposes. “This is dragging on for two years and our patience is wearing thin,” said VOICE member Lenor Ramirez, reacting to the council vote.

VOICE wants the council to adopt an ordinance that city planners said would allow only one more liquor outlet in the 2.4-square-mile city.

San Fernando, which currently has no guidelines for granting alcohol sales permits, is home to an unusually high concentration of liquor outlets--roughly one for every 428 residents. With only 23,850 residents, San Fernando has 32 stores that sell liquor and 23 restaurants and bars that serve it.

That is 2 1/2 times the countywide average of one liquor outlet for every 1,100 residents, said Howard Miura, San Fernando’s director of community development. Community anti-liquor activists said they want the ratio of alcohol sales permits to residents limited to no more than one permit per 1,000 residents. Their proposal includes a provision that would prohibit such permits for stores, restaurants and bars located within 1,000 feet of a similar establishment, school, church or day-care center.

“There’s an inordinate amount of alcohol around here, and it leads to high crime rates and drunk driving, among other problems,” said John Becker, chairman of the San Fernando chapter of VOICE.

But Miura said the group’s proposal is overly restrictive because it would allow only one new liquor outlet in the city. A plan being drafted by Miura would allow four or five new liquor outlets, he said. It recommends that no alcohol sales licenses be granted to stores within 600 feet of a school or 300 feet of a church.

“It allows opportunity for enhancement of the economy,” Miura said. “We are not overly restrictive on business in this city--that’s something we want to convey with this.”