Hermosa Cracks Down on Liquor Stores, Nightclubs

In response to a rising number of citizen complaints about “excessive noise and unruly behavior,” Hermosa Beach police and firefighters soon will start an aggressive campaign aimed at curbing violations of local and state laws at liquor stores and nightclubs, Public Safety Director Steve Wisniewski has announced.

“We’re in the warning and notification phase now,” said Wisniewski, who serves as the chief of both the Police and Fire departments. “But in the very near future, we will turn up the heat whenever it’s necessary to gain compliance.”

Letters are being sent to bars, restaurants and other establishments warning owners to observe limits on occupancy and noise, he said, and liquor store operators are being advised to check the ID of any customer who looks even remotely like a minor.

Officers will be armed with noise meters when they check out entertainment spots, Wisniewski said. He advised owners to close windows and doors when a band is playing and to maintain screens over windows to prevent patrons from passing drinks to friends outside.

Underage Stings

A couple of months ago, Wisniewski said, police worked for a week with Explorer Scouts and other youths, who attempted to buy alcoholic beverages at bars and liquor stores. When the underage “customers” made a purchase, he said, the owners were cited. When they were turned down, Wisniewski sent the owner a letter of commendation.

That operation netted 17 citations for selling liquor to minors, he said. He said fines have ranged from $300 to $1,500 for the violations that have been processed so far.

More recently, the Lighthouse Cafe was closed down for several hours one night in the last week of June for exceeding its legal occupancy limit, the chief said, and officers ordered P. J. Brett’s on the Pacific Coast Highway to reduce its seating capacity. Under the fire code, the limit for P. J. Brett’s is 186 patrons, he said, but officers counted 238 stools and chairs.

The managers at both P. J. Brett’s and the Lighthouse Cafe declined to comment.

More to Come

“We’ll be doing a lot of this type of enforcement,” Wisniewski said.

Councilman Roger Creighton said a joint meeting of the City Council and the Planning Commission several months ago provided the impetus for the current crackdown.

“We wanted to send a clear message that Hermosa Beach residents will no longer tolerate excessive noise and unruly behavior at these places,” he said. “The problem starts when overcrowding is allowed, which leads to customers and noise spilling into the streets.”