LOS ANGELES : Plan to Limit Rebuilding of Liquor Stores Advances

The city Planning Commission approved an unprecedented ordinance Thursday that would allow the panel to deny permits to owners who want to rebuild liquor stores destroyed in last year’s riots.

Under the proposed ordinance, the commission can deny a rebuilding permit unless the store is deemed “desirable” and appropriate for the neighborhood. The business also must “not be materially detrimental” to the area, according to the proposal.

But Commission President Ted Stein acknowledged that such an ordinance could be found unconstitutional, and a representative of a Korean grocer’s group denounced it.

“It’s akin to a witch hunt,” said Ryan Song, executive director of the local office of the Korean American Grocers Assn. “It’s against the Constitution. And it specifically deprives (victims) of property rights unjustly.”