The ABC is conducting compliance checks statewide
The Santa Monica Police Department cited a retail clerk at Bristol Farms, located at 3105 Wilshire Blvd, for selling alcohol to a minor during a Minor Decoy Operation on May 7. Detectives supervised a minor who attempted to purchase alcohol from nine retail licensees in the city, resulting in one violation.
Clerks found guilty of selling to minors face a minimum fine of $250 and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first offense. The Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) will also take administrative action against the business’s license, which could include fines, suspension, or permanent revocation.
The ABC is conducting these compliance checks statewide to limit minors’ access to alcohol, citing higher rates of drunken driving fatalities among those under 21 compared to the general adult population. “Minor Decoy operations hold accountable those who sell alcohol to minors,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “Keeping alcohol away from youth is a priority.”
Initiated by local law enforcement across California since the 1980s, the program initially saw violation rates of 40 to 50 percent among retailers. Routine checks have since reduced this to as low as 10 percent or less in some areas. The California Supreme Court upheld the use of underage decoys as a legitimate enforcement tool in a unanimous 1994 ruling.
