Activists Cheer as 2 Bars Temporarily Lose Their Licenses
About 20 Oxnard activists cheered Thursday morning as state investigators suspended the liquor licenses of two La Colonia taverns suspected of hiring bar girls to push drinks on men.
Carrying signs that read “No More Bar Girls in Our Neighborhood,” activists marched the block between La Michoacana 1 and La Michoacana 2 bars.
State officials suspended the licenses of the first bar for 20 days and the second for 10 days, with the warning that they will be shut down permanently if the so-called B-girls are hired again. Investigators say women in their 20s have been bused in from the Los Angeles area in recent months to attract men.
The two bars are among several in La Colonia that state investigators have punished in response to neighborhood complaints.
“We had people telling us, ‘Good job, God bless you, thank you,’ ” said anti-crime activist Vicky Gonzales, describing the neighborhood reaction to Thursday’s suspensions. “It was really positive.”
Ed Macias, regional director of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, said bar owner Manuel Garcia Millan cooperated Thursday and vowed to work with authorities to prevent problems.
“Pretty much he said he’s going to have a straight bar, and he’ll start monitoring once he gets back into business,” Macias said.
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