Market Stays Open but City Pulls Liquor License

La Mexicana Market can remain open but must relinquish its liquor license, the City Council decided in a 4-1 vote Monday.

At a packed meeting that extended into early Tuesday, the council heard emotional testimony from the community before deciding whether to accept the city administration’s advice on closing the store for violating a city ordinance.

Most in the crowd of about 400 rallied to keep the mom-and-pop grocery store open, calling it a historical landmark in the working-class Latino neighborhood.

“My mother raised eight kids and, because of La Mexicana, she was able to put food on the table. They gave her credit without even knowing who she was,” one man told the council.

Nearly in tears, one woman said La Mexicana provides many of the cooking ingredients she can’t find at a chain grocery store. “Please, reach into your hearts! Don’t close La Mexicana!” she pleaded.

The store, a fixture at Coronel and Kalisher streets since 1922, was granted “legal nonconforming status” when the area was rezoned as residential in 1989.

But an ordinance allows the city to automatically revoke the operating license of such exempt businesses if they close for six months or longer.

Also, a state law allows a city to revoke the liquor license of a business that stops operating for more than 30 days.

City administrators contend La Mexicana had been closed for six months during remodeling in 1998.

Representatives of property owner and longtime store operator Fernando Garcia, 73, said business never ceased during the remodeling.

The store is now leased and operated by Claudia Zamoran, who financed the renovation.

Councilwoman Beverly Di Tomaso said the council wasn’t convinced La Mexicana had closed for six months, but believed revoking of the license was warranted.

“It really was terrible to decide to revoke the liquor license, but I made my decision based on the facts,” Di Tomaso said.

The Garcia family was visibly upset with the council’s decision to revoke the liquor license.

“It’s heart-wrenching,” said Garcia’s son-in-law, Hector Martinez, the family’s spokesman. “It’s the kiss of death when a small business like this is not allowed to sell beer.”

Martinez would not say what percentage of the store’s revenues is derived from liquor sales and insisted the business is a “family grocery store that happens to sell liquor.”

City Administrator John Ornelas was happy Tuesday with the council’s decision, though his office fought to revoke La Mexicana’s business license.

“It was a tough decision, but there was enough evidence that they closed for more than six months,” Ornelas said.