A handy guide for residents who want a say in how their neighborhood works
It’s a classic urban conflict: Residents want peace and quiet and quality-of-life while city leaders often want business, economic growth and increased revenues. The wish list of city leaders often includes grocery and convenience stores, restaurants and entertainment venues. And these businesses have one thing in common that can impact a neighborhood’s quality of life: a license from the state to sell alcohol.
Community members often don’t understand the impact of having too many alcohol outlets or a problem outlet in their neighborhood until it’s too late. Those who do can attest to the safety and quality-of-life impacts from noise, drunken driving, trash, public drunkenness, vandalism and crime. While restaurants, bars, and liquor stores can make up an important part of a city’s economy and tax revenue base, they also have the potential to disturb their neighborhoods. In fact, studies show that rates of crime and violence tend to increase when there is a high number of alcohol outlets in a given area.
The state licensing process, run by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), is designed to balance the interests of alcohol license applicants and the community’s need to reduce crime and maintain a high quality of life for all residents. However, most people don’t know there is a way to prevent alcohol-related problems before an alcohol establishment even opens its doors to the public. Although ABC has the final say on who gets an alcohol license and who doesn’t, city agencies and local residents have a say in the process. Public input can make a difference on whether a license is approved or influence the conditions placed on the license, which can include hours of operation and use of live music.
An alcohol license is forever
Once an alcohol license is granted it belongs to the license holder at that address. What this means is that the owner of the quiet little pizza spot that has been around the corner for years can one day transfer the license to someone who decides to convert the pizza shop to a night club. Another possibility is that the owner of that pizza spot can decide to move and with ABC’s approval set up shop elsewhere.
The licensing process is the only chance residents have to influence the rules imposed on the current alcohol outlet – as well as future alcohol establishments, at that location. In other words, the licensing process gives residents an opportunity to impact their quality of life for the long term.
Community member’s involvement in the alcohol licensing process helps to ensure that alcohol businesses will be good neighbors. ABC’s protest process is the community’s only voice in alcohol licensing. By ensuring neighbors and other community leaders get involved in alcohol licensing decisions, cities, ABC and licensed establishments can help prevent alcohol-related crime and disturbances, assuring a healthier quality of life for our communities.
Alcohol license protest forms can be downloaded from the ABC website, www.abc.ca.gov (note that a protest form is not included with the notice that comes in the mail). Completed protest forms can be delivered to the local ABC office in person, via mail, or by faxing.
South Bay Community Change Project (SBCCP) can help residents with alcohol license protests or neighborhood problems linked to alcohol from nearby bars, liquor stores, restaurants and entertainment venues. Contact SBCCP at SBCCP@publicstrategies.org or 619.623.3751 ext.329.