Crime and Alcohol in Lake Forest. Part 1 - Regulation

A discount chain wants to add beer and wine sales to two of their stores in our City. Should we allow them to do this? Let’s examine the situation from all angles. This is the first of a 6-part series, leading up to the Planning Commission meeting next week at which they will vote on this issue.

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

Although most of us are against government regulation, it’s accepted by almost everyone that government has a role to play in protecting our wellbeing. We have federal and state agencies that monitor what goes into our food, and how and where we sell things like guns, tobacco, and alcohol. The City of Lake Forest has a moral and statutory duty to insure the general health and safety of the residents by regulating the sale of beer and wine.

ALCOHOL IN LAKE FOREST

There are 159 total outlets selling alcohol in Lake Forest  - 22 of  these sell alcohol, beer and wine off site (buy it in a store but drink it elsewhere), and 22 sell beer and wine only off site. The other 115 are where you consume alcohol on site.

Among the 12 cities in South Orange County, Lake Forest has the 5th highest concentration of off-site as well as the 5th highest total number of outlets selling alcohol. We have 1 outlet for every 496 people.

REGULATING ALCOHOL SALES

In order to regulate how many stores we “should” have, the State’s Alcohol and Beverage Commission (ABC) was constituted, and they collect information by census tract in terms of how many stores sell alcohol and how many people live in those tracts. In Lake Forest we have 16 tracts –

• 5 tracts are oversaturated

• 4 tracts are at their limit

• 2 tracts are below their limits

Being “oversaturated” means that there are too many stores based on the population. Some tracts, like the tract around Towne Center, have more than 3 times the number of stores they should have (7 vs. 2).

Anytime a store wants to sell alcohol, beer, or wine, they are required to submit an application to the City. It’s reviewed by the Director of Planning, and her decision can be appealed to the Planning Commission and ultimately to the City Council.

Up until now, the Director of Planning, the Planning Commission, and the City Council have been operating in the absence of any data about the impact of the number of outlets on drunken driving, crime in general, violent crime in particular, and health. It seems unbelievable that the public servants who are charged with the responsibility of insuring our health and safety, operate in ignorance about such an important topic and the associated facts. Tomorrow we’ll go over these facts and they will amaze you.