RESEDA : Shop’s Request for Beer Permit Denied

The Los Angeles Police Department has succeeded in blocking efforts by the owner of a small specialty meat shop in Reseda to obtain a permit to sell beer and wine.

In a hearing that dragged late into the afternoon Tuesday, the city Board of Zoning Appeals voted 3 to 2 to uphold a police appeal of a permit to allow alcohol sales by Carniceria Corona at 18326 Sherman Way, board secretary Greg Merideth said. The store sells meat and Latino specialty foods.

Board members expressed sympathy for the owners of the small shop, portrayed as a mom-and-pop store struggling to compete against larger markets. But in the end, board members weighed in on the side of police, who argued that the permit would contribute to problems of crime and loitering in the area, Meredith said.

Patrick Panzarello, representative for the shop, said he believes that the decision was faulty, and is considering appealing it to the City Council.

“The more I thought about it, I realize they (the shop owners) were treated very unfairly,” he said.

Panzarello accused police of inflating the number of liquor licenses in the area by presenting figures that represented a one-mile radius around the shop, rather than the immediate area.

The case marked the first time that police have appealed an approval of a zoning permit, an action police officials say signals increased police interest in urban planning.

As part of new community-based policing efforts, officers argue that they need to take a stand against zoning decisions that could contribute to crime problems in their areas. The Carniceria’s alcohol permit would have encouraged loiterers to drink in public around they shop, officers have said.

Crime and loitering problems also prompted City Councilwoman Laura Chick to side with police in the case. Chick’s planning deputy, Denise Binder, said the councilwoman was pleased with the board’s decision, saying that it was another blow to crime in the area.