The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved stricter enforcement guidelines for the sale of alcoholic beverages at gas stations in an effort to reduce drunken driving and the availability of alcohol to minors.
“This is a strong and rational step to help curb drinking and driving,” said Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who wrote the motion. “We must make it harder for people who are filling up their car to grab a beer and get back on the road. This motion does just that. Gas stations will no longer be overlooked in city regulations governing alcohol sales.”
In California, the manufacture, distribution, storage and sale of alcohol is regulated by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, but the city is responsible for permits to operate gas stations and other businesses.
The motion approved by the council on a 14-0 vote will ensure that every gas station that has a license from ABC is actually abiding by the state law before being issued a permit from the city, Blumenfield’s office said.
The motion also gives the Department of Building and Safety and the Los Angeles Police Department added enforcement tools to inspect and issue citations for the following violations of the state law:
— no beer or wine shall be displayed within five feet of the cash register or the front door unless it is in a permanently affixed cooler as of Jan. 1, 1988;
— no advertisement of alcoholic beverages at motor fuel islands, buildings, or windows;
— no sale of alcoholic beverages from a drive-in window;
— no display or sale of beer or wine from an ice tub; and
— employees on duty between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. who sell beer or wine must be at least 21 years old.
“Los Angeles has the ability to place strict conditions on alcohol sales at gas stations under its zoning and policing powers. We would like to see single containers not sold at gas stations so people don’t drink after they fuel up,” said Gilbert Mora of the Coalition to Prevent Alcohol Related Harms in LA Metro and Behavioral Health Services Hollywood.
Blumenfield’s office said it initiated a policy review after receiving reports that gas station alcohol sales may be more lax than other ABC-licensed vendors, and that practices such as easy access to single serving sales could encourage open containers and drunken driving.
–City News Service