Warning Signs on Drinking Ruled Valid

The California Restaurant Assn. lost its bid Thursday to overturn a Los Angeles ordinance requiring restaurants, bars and liquor stores to post signs warning of the hazards of alcohol to pregnant women.

The ordinance, developed in response to widespread concern over the connection between drinking and birth defects, is within the city’s authority to protect the health and safety of its citizens, Superior Court Judge Warren Deering ruled.

Deering rejected a challenge by the restaurant association, which argued that the state has exclusive authority to regulate the sale of alcoholic beverages.

“In my opinion, this ordinance is valid and does not constitute an invasion of any of the prerogatives of the state,” Deering said.

The association’s executive director, Stanley R. Kyker, said restaurant owners are concerned not about what the signs say, but about a growing number of local regulations of all types affecting operations that ought to be governed by the state.

“Once you get away from this issue, it might be something else that might be a societal interest, where a city says we believe it’s in the best interests of our city’s health to require restaurants or bars to be closed at midnight,” he said.