SANTA ANA : Late-Night Store Hours May Require Permit

Convenience stores would need a special permit to remain open from midnight to 5 a.m. under an ordinance the city is considering as a way to reduce crime.

The council decided to study the issue after three gas stations in recent months proposed building convenience stores. Council members contend the stores often are targets for robbers or a place for gang members and prostitutes to hang out.

According to a study of 17 mini-marts conducted this year by the Santa Ana Police Department, those licensed to sell alcoholic beverages averaged 59 crimes per year. About one-third of those crimes occurred from midnight to 5 a.m.

Mini-marts not licensed to sell alcohol averaged 15 crimes per year, about three on average from midnight to 5 a.m., the study found.

“We can’t continue to allow projects that could have a detrimental impact,” Councilwoman Lisa Mills said.

But one speaker, who has a mini-mart proposal pending before the council, said the council was overreacting.

“It sounds to me like it’s a perceived problem, where the numbers don’t really support it,” said Scott Peotter of Unocal.

City administrators are expected to return to the council with the draft of an ordinance Dec. 4 that would require permits for markets under 20,000 square feet that operate from midnight to 5 a.m.