California Department Of Alcoholic Beverage Control

A Long Beach police detective said Thursday that a $100,000 grant from the state will help police crack down on liquor stores that sell alcohol to minors. The grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control "will allow the Police Department to dedicate one officer, full time, to the enforcement" of state liquor laws, Detective Joel Cook said.

Johnny Grant, the longtime Hollywood showman and Tinseltown's unofficial mayor, has seen a lot of star antics over the decades. But from his penthouse apartment atop the trendy Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Grant, 84, said he's not happy about what he's seeing today -- especially amid investigations focusing on underage starlets partying at Hollywood hot spots. "They're out of hand today," Grant said. "They used to be much more discreet. Studios used to control their images.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has revoked the liquor license of a Sun Valley bar because of illegal drug activity, authorities said Monday. The action was taken Friday against El Noa Noa bar at 7607 Vineland Ave. after investigators found drug activity there, said Lonnie Corley, supervising investigator. In February 1997, undercover officers from the Los Angeles Police Department found bar owner Javier Ramirez in possession of cocaine for sale, Corley said.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control on Tuesday appointed a 49-year-old Redlands resident to head the agency's local district office. Timothy A. Clark was named the new administrator for the department's Van Nuys office. Clark replaces Dale Rasmussen, who recently left the agency to take a position with the Army. Clark has been with the agency since 1988 after transferring from the California Department of Transportation.

The Redondo Beach Police Department cited three businesses for allegedly selling alcohol to minors during an undercover operation, police said. Two teams from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Police Department used underage decoys to check 25 establishment for illegal sales, said Officer Bob Remington of the Redondo Beach department.

After failing to receive a state grant earlier in the year, the Pomona Police Department went ahead with its initiatives to combat alcohol-related crimes. Now it has been rewarded. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced Tuesday that the department received an $84,583 grant to reduce criminal activity at licensed locations. Police departments in Oxnard, Santa Rosa and the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department also received grants.

California's prestigious wine trade is nervous about a crackdown on long-ignored industry practices that include providing abundant free samples for formal tastings at wine shops. Suppliers have routinely--and illegally, in some cases--furnished ample quantities of wines to shop owners for tastings, and "the ABC has looked the other way," said Randy Kemner, owner of Wine Country, a Signal Hill retailer. No longer.

Two items in the newspapers last week deserve to be read side by side. First, attorneys for Vertigo, the trendy downtown Los Angeles nightspot that openly discriminates against the attire-impaired, are appealing efforts by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to force the club to admit nerds. Vertigo makes no bones about sorting the stodgy from the chic. A guy at the door eyeballs supplicants eager for entry and makes the decision based entirely on their clothes.

State auditors are looking into allegations that the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has engaged in "discriminatory enforcement" by stepping up raids on minority bars--particularly gay ones. The audit marks the latest round in a battle that began last fall between the ABC and factions of the gay, black and Latino communities after a dramatic increase in raids, primarily on gay bars and often during prime business hours.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control confirmed trade reports that it is investigating Anheuser-Busch's "Buy the Beer, Get the Gear" promotion for Budweiser. An ABC spokesman said state law bans giveaways that are tied to alcohol sales. The Anheuser-Busch promotion allows Bud purchasers to earn points that can be redeemed for such merchandise as coasters. In a statement, St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch said it is working with the ABC "regarding their concerns."

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control appointed a 49-year-old Redlands resident Tuesday to head the agency's Van Nuys District office. Timothy A. Clark was named the new administrator for the department's Van Nuys office. Clark replaces Dale Rasmussen, who recently left the agency to take a position with the Army. Agency interim director Manuel Espinoza said Clark will be a valuable addition to the Van Nuys office.

Employees at 20 stores and restaurants in Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park were cited during a police sting operation over the weekend for allegedly selling alcohol to minors, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies enlisted several 18- and 19-year-olds to attempt to purchase alcohol Friday and Saturday nights at about 100 businesses. Employees who sold alcohol to a minor were cited and released at the scene.

The Redondo Beach Police Department cited three businesses for allegedly selling alcohol to minors during an undercover operation, police said. Two teams from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Police Department used underage decoys to check 25 establishment for illegal sales, said Officer Bob Remington of the Redondo Beach department.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control has revoked the liquor license of a Sun Valley bar because of illegal drug activity, authorities said Monday. The action was taken Friday against El Noa Noa bar at 7607 Vineland Ave. after investigators found drug activity there, said Lonnie Corley, supervising investigator. In February 1997, undercover officers from the Los Angeles Police Department found bar owner Javier Ramirez in possession of cocaine for sale, Corley said.

After failing to receive a state grant earlier in the year, the Pomona Police Department went ahead with its initiatives to combat alcohol-related crimes. Now it has been rewarded. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced Tuesday that the department received an $84,583 grant to reduce criminal activity at licensed locations. Police departments in Oxnard, Santa Rosa and the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department also received grants.

Tempers were running high Thursday in Hermosa Beach when business owners learned that they were not included in a meeting scheduled next week between state and city officials to discuss the city's problems with the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Employees at 20 stores and restaurants in Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park were cited during a police sting operation over the weekend for allegedly selling alcohol to minors, authorities said. Sheriff's deputies enlisted several 18- and 19-year-olds to attempt to purchase alcohol Friday and Saturday nights at about 100 businesses. Employees who sold alcohol to a minor were cited and released at the scene.

Gov. Pete Wilson has appointed former state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita) to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board. Davis, 76, retired from the Senate earlier this month after 12 years and now lives in Morro Bay. He was chief of the Los Angeles Police Department from 1969 to 1978. The board hears appeals by holders of liquor licenses who have been disciplined by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. It also hears appeals from those who have been denied licenses.

City officials have rescheduled a meeting with the State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for Sept. 10. to discuss the city's allegations that the agency is overzealous in its enforcement of alcohol licenses in the city. Officials from Gov. Pete Wilson's office, a representative of county Supervisor Don Knabe and Hermosa Beach business owners and city officials are expected to attend the meeting. It had been scheduled for Aug.

Hermosa Beach city officials have postponed a Monday meeting with the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and county Supervisor Don Knabe because they want a representative from the governor's office to attend the meeting. Knabe offered to arrange the meeting after city officials complained in writing to the governor that the ABC was unfairly cracking down on Hermosa Beach restaurants and bars. No one from the governor's office had been invited.