SEAL BEACH : Council Backs Bills on Liquor Licenses

The City Council this week voted to support two bills in the state Legislature that would give state and local officials more power over granting liquor licenses.

The bills, AS 2897 and AS 2742, would allow cities and the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control board to consider how additional alcohol-selling establishments would affect neighborhoods that already have an over-concentration of bars, liquor stores and restaurants.

Mayor Gwen Forsythe said that both pieces of legislation would give the concerns of residents more weight in the licensing process.

“This gives us more guidelines to work with,” Forsythe said. “It places limits on the overabundance of (liquor-selling establishments) in an area if they are proven to be detrimental.”

Forsythe and other city officials have long argued that the Old Town district suffers from an over-concentration of bars and liquor-serving restaurants--about 25 in the area around Main Street.

Old Town residents have complained that the establishments attract rowdy patrons who make loud noises at night and disrupt the peacefulness of the bedroom community. Merchants contend that such complaints are overblown.

The issue was the topic of several heated City Council meetings last year that dealt with an alcohol-selling restaurant’s application to stay open later The application was eventually denied.

“I would classify Main Street as having an over-concentration,” Forsythe said.

The legislation would not directly affect merchants who already hold liquor licenses, she said.