Our County’s Alcohol Beverage Board meets once a month to review alcohol-related issues ranging from permits to disciplinary actions. Last week’s meeting gives you a good look at how the Board operates and what issues they review. To see the meeting agenda (click here.)
As for their permitting process/approval, check out the Board’s actions on 3 permit issues. Of special interest to folks in South County may be Sunset Cove’s request to reopen their bar. To see how that played out start at the 19:00 mark of the following video. (Spoiler alert – After an extended, half hour conversation, mostly about controlling access to their Tiki Bar, Sunset owner Shawn Craig and his lawyer Phil Dorsey eventually managed to get the Board’s “conditional” approval.)
Following the permit portion of the meeting, the Board then moved on to review 3 violations where businesses sold alcohol to someone under age. A sting was conducted whereby an 18 year old succeeded in buying alcohol from 3 liquor stores who were now scheduled to appear before the Board.
Beginning at the 42:00 mark you can see how the Board processed and fined each of the clerks who made the sales and the owners of these businesses. The cases are worth reviewing because it shows you how the Board handles these matters.
While the first case is fairly straightforward, the second and third cases are more involved and worth watching. The second case involved my friend Paul Choporis and his clerk Jeff at International Beverages.
The third case (1:20:00 mark) is actually kinda funny with the owner/husband discussing his clerk/wife, on whether or not he considered firing her for selling to a minor. His response (1:24:00) was “I try to smack her hand, and up she smacks my head. Woman is the boss.” He should have gotten off just because of that astute insight.
Any dealings with “the law” always brings Bobby Fuller to my mind. His version of this tune written by Sonny Curtis and first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, ranks at 175 in Rolling Stones’ 500 Greatest Songs. However, what’s even more significant is how Bobby Fuller’s suicide death has been the subject of much scrutiny and mystery thru the years. Bobby was “mobbed up” as they say and his death has always stirred much controversy (click here.) Leads one to think maybe the lyric should have been “I fought the mob and….”