Underage liquor sting

Employees of four Laguna Beach businesses — including the Marine Room Tavern, owned by City Councilman-elect Kelly Boyd — were cited for allegedly selling liquor to an underage patron in a sting operation conducted Saturday, police officers said.

The businesses whose employees were cited were: Gina’s Pizza & Pasta, 610 No. Coast Highway; Wild Oats Market, 283 Broadway; the Marine Room, 214 Ocean Ave.; and Coast Liquor, 1391 So. Coast Highway.

A total of 11 businesses were targeted by the Alcohol Decoy Buy Program operation, conducted by Laguna Beach Police in conjunction with the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Seven businesses complied with the law and did not sell alcohol to the decoy after checking identification.

The operation used an 18-year-old person as the decoy. The Alcohol Decoy Buy Program is a statewide program designed to curb underage drinking and underage drinking and driving, Det. Sgt. Darin Lenyi said.

Under the surveillance of detectives, the decoy entered the businesses and attempted to purchase alcoholic beverages, Lenyi said.

Citations were issued to employees of the four businesses for sales of alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor that is punishable by a $250 fine and 24 to 32 hours of community service, said John Carr, public information officer for the state ABC.

In addition to prosecuting the individual who sold the liquor, the ABC may take action against the business, depending upon the business’s violation history.

A business that has had a violation within three years is subject to suspension of its liquor license.

According to records posted on the ABC’s Web site, www.abc.ca.gov, the only business of the four that has had a violation within three years is Wild Oats, which had a 10-day suspension of its liquor license and paid a $2,804 fine in 2005 for selling liquor to a minor in a similar decoy operation.

At the Marine Room, Boyd said a doorman failed to check the ID of the decoy, who was then served liquor.

“The doorman is gone, and I’ve called a meeting to get everybody squared away,” Boyd said. “We’ve always been very conscientious here.”

Boyd is due to be sworn in as a City Councilman on Dec. 5.

It is illegal in California to sell anyone under the age of 21 an alcoholic beverage. It is also illegal for any person under the age of 21 to possess any type of alcoholic beverage.

The police department received a grant from ABC to pay for costs of the decoy program.