2 Councilmen to Take On Alcohol Control Board

In a move aimed at preventing the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control from exercising too much control over the city’s restaurants and bars, two Hermosa Beach City Council members have proposed an ordinance that would make it a misdemeanor for any state official to prohibit dancing or regulate food consumption in the city.

Council members Sam Edgerton and Bergie Benz offered the ordinance at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The council has ordered a subcommittee to research the authority that the alcohol control board has over municipalities before it votes on the proposal.

Hermosa Beach council members are scheduled to meet with alcohol control officials and Supervisor Don Knabe on Monday to discuss the city’s allegations that the agency is unfairly cracking down on businesses. Some city officials believe that the state agency is trying to enforce regulations that are a matter of local control.