TOUGHER ALCOHOL LAW EYED CITY REGULATORS TO TALK MORE ABOUT IDEA DEC. 5.

Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Liquor stores, bars and possibly supermarkets and restaurants that sell alcohol could face tougher restrictions if they want to open in Palmdale under a proposal being reviewed by planning commissioners.

The proposed ordinance would stiffen regulations imposed in 1994 on bars and liquor stores, and it could extend them to supermarkets and restaurants, which might be limited, if they sell alcoholic beverages, on how close they could be to residential neighborhoods, schools or churches.

``This is a new concept - of applying any kind of separation - for uses that were previously exempted, like grocery stores and restaurants,'' Planning Director Laurie Lile said.

Community alcohol-control activists are pushing for greater city regulation of alcohol sales, including sales in restaurants and supermarkets.

Activists say that supermarket liquor sections can be as big as entire liquor stores. They also say they have seen restaurants serve underage drinkers and illegally let patrons take alcoholic drinks with them to consume off the premises. They further accuse restaurant patrons of speeding through neighborhoods after drinking.

``We're not dealing with holy water here just because it's dispensed in a restaurant of whatever type,'' said Ray Chavira, a former member of the Los Angeles County Commission on Alcoholism. ``It's just another type of liquor store.''

But business people said setting more restrictive minimum distances between homes, schools or churches and alcohol outlets - particularly restaurants and supermarkets - could make it harder to draw new businesses to Palmdale.

A 1,000-foot separation - the most restrictive of the limits being talked about - would bar any new alcohol-selling business from locating in existing commercial areas, including areas along Palmdale Boulevard, at the Antelope Valley Mall or at 47th Street East and Avenue S, officials said.

``If you were going to try to bring a Chili's in now, and you said we'll let you build a Chili's here but you can't serve any beer or alcohol, do you think you're going to get them here?'' said Brian Narducci, local government-relations chairman for the Greater Antelope Valley Association of Realtors.

The Realtors group praised proposed revisions that would clarify current ambiguity in the ordinance, but said the separation distances should remain the same: a minimum of 300 feet from homes and 500 feet from schools, churches and parks.

Westside Union School District and Antelope Valley Union High School District trustees, however, have asked for 1,000-foot buffers around schools and 500 feet around homes, parks and churches.

In the proposal's first public hearing Thursday night, commissioners said they favored tightening restrictions on liquor stores and bars but hesitated about setting standards that could keep out new restaurants or supermarkets if they sell alcohol.

Commissioners are scheduled to resume discussion Dec. 5 on the proposal. City staffers will present diagrams showing how much land would be covered by varying minimum-separation distances.

``In my mind, there's not a lot of problems with restaurants. There's problems with bars. There are problems with primary liquor stores,'' Commissioner Jeff Storm said.

Storm blames customers of a convenience store near his home for leaving empty 40-ounce malt-liquor bottles and for urinating and defecating in the landscaping around his neighborhood. People sit behind the store or on the curb beside it and drink, he said.

``They may call them convenience stores, but they're only convenient to alcoholics and winos,'' Storm said.

Pueblo Y Salud executive director Xavier Flores, whose community group is pushing for tighter alcohol-sales regulations, said after Thursday's hearing that he is pleased with progress in revising the law.

``We think we're going in the right direction,'' Flores said.

Flores also said he hopes alcohol sales are kept at least 600 feet from homes.

``We're willing to compromise. I hope it won't go below 600 feet. That would be problematic,'' Flores sad.

Besides setting minimum distances from homes, schools, churches and parks, the revised ordinance also would require training for business employees in responsible methods and skills for selling alcohol.

It also would treat as bars or nightclubs the restaurants that close down their kitchens in the evenings and serve only drinks, that host dancing or that bring in entertainment.

The revised ordinance would also give the city authority to impose new restrictions on existing businesses that change owners, change their operations markedly, or are ruled a public nuisance.

Charles F. Bostwick, [phone]

chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com