SB cracks down on 40s
Mayor Pat Morris sent out a press release today announcing that four alcohol retailers received citations for selling single serve alcohol in violation of their conditional use permits.
"We see public intoxication and all the crime that goes along with it, including high rates of violent incidents," Morris said in a press release. "That's why the city, when issuing its permits for alcohol retailers, has started restricting them from selling these kinds of products."
San Bernardino routinely prohibits alcohol vendors from selling single units of alcoholic beverages. However, this rule is seldom followed. It's easy to find single serve alcohol in many mini-marts or grocery stores, and a recent San Bernardino Counrty Department of Public Health survey of 190 licensed liquor dealers found that 165 of those retailers sold singles.
Singles are frequently sold in big bottles, such as the 40-ounce bottles of beer or malt liquor that are often seen in college parties and in gangsta rap videos from the 1990s. The survey found that the most common size for singles in San Bernardino are 24-ounce containers, followed by 32- or 40-ounce bottles. The city's prohibition applies to any size of single-serve bottle of beer or malt liquor.
The theory behind the prohibition on single sales is that customers purchasing a six-pack or case of beer are more likely to use alcohol responsibly. The assumption is that a package of alcoholic beverages will be taken to a residence, whereas a single can be opened and consumed on the street.
UC Riverside professor Robert Nash Parker advised city officials that singles can be associated with vandalism and other crimes.
"Gang members 'sip' 40-ouncers, they party, they get their courage up," he said in a press release. "For the most part, these are underage drinkers and alcohol plays a central part in their activities."
The anti-40 campaign marks an instance of cooperation between the often squabbling Mayor's and City Attorney's office. Parker is a consultant to Morris' Operation Phoenix program, and investigators from City Attorney James F. Penman's office are checking for unauthorized alcohol sales.
"We are taking this very seriously," Penman said in a press release. "Those who fail to comply could be liable for up to a $1,000 per day in fines."
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
wow......that'll really turn things around here in ole San Berdoo.....what will they think of next?...better restrict the use of "pimp cups",before the homies figure out they can buy a sixer and pour it into it....and have an extra 12 oz to boot....they should spend as much time cleaning up the graffiti and the properties in this s**t hole of a town as they do on this crap and we would be better off....
Hard alcohol can still be purchased in small, easily consumable and concealable bottles. This is a complete waste of time. It's like making pot illegal but saying you can have all the speed and crack you want! TSBP (Typical San Bernardino Politics), yet again. Just like Operation Phoenix, it's just window dressing to make that mayor look like he did something useful...