Employees at Lemon Grove businesses that sell alcohol would have to take the same training as workers in bars and restaurants under a new rule the City Council is pursuing.
The required training is in response to the city’s high concentration of shops that sell alcohol, which is 800% greater than allowed by the state.
The City Council unanimously approved a first reading of the ordinance last Tuesday, with a second reading scheduled for Dec. 3. The new rule will go into effect 30 days later and requires sellers to complete the Alcohol Beverage Control Board’s free Responsible Beverage Service training course, which the ABC had required for on-sale businesses such as bars and restaurants.
Retailers also will be required to take the ABC’s free Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs course, which includes lessons on selling alcohol safely, responsibly, and legally, with an emphasis on preventing sales to minors and to intoxicated people.
The LEAD training is voluntary for off-site alcohol retailers, meaning shops that sell alcohol that is consumed elsewhere, but will be mandatory for retailers in Lemon Grove.
The over-concentration of off-site alcohol sellers was discussed in July during a presentation by the Institute for Public Strategies, which noted that Lemon Grove has an 800% over-concentration of off-sale licenses based on what is allowed by the state for a city its size.
The nonprofit also argued that the high number of alcohol retailers leads to over-consumption of alcohol, which then could lead to driving under the influence, vandalism due to intoxication, underage drinking, domestic violence and sexual assault.
City Manager Lydia Romero said the city already was aware of the high number of off-site retailers, but the shops’ licenses predated the ABC’s threshold standard and could not be suspended.
Romero also said that during her eight years as city manager, the number of off-site alcohol retailers has not increased, and at least two applications for shops to sell alcohol had been denied.
Encinitas, Imperial Beach, Oceanside, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Vista also have adopted similar mandatory training.
Also on Tuesday, the council approved about $5 million for repairs to 63 street segments, the largest road project in the city’s history.
The meeting was the first since the Nov. 5 election and the second to last for the current council, which often have been contentious and seen infighting among members, especially between Mayor Racquel Vasquez and Councilmember Liana LeBaron.
With Vasquez and LeBaron both losing to Councilmember Alysson Snow in the mayor’s race, neither women will be on the council in the new year, but neither were ready to make nice just yet.
Following public comment at last Tuesday’s meeting, the council was prepared to vote on accepting the consent calendar, a usually routine matter.
As LeBaron began to speak about something that had been said by an audience member during public comment, Vasquez cut her off and said she could only speak about the consent calendar at that time.
“Councilmember LeBaron, you are out of order,” Vasquez said as LeBaron continued speaking. “If you continue, then I will have to ask you to leave.”
“This is taking far too long,” LeBaron said a few moments later. “We could have been done with this by now Madam Mayor. You are holding up all of us from doing the public’s work. You and your idiocracy.”
An audience member loudly called Vasquez a coward during the exchange, and the mayor told the man she would have him removed if he could not contain himself.
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