Temecula Puts Moratorium on Alcohol Licenses

The city put a moratorium on issuing liquor licenses until officials decide on the application of a local convenience store.

The Temecula City Council approved the 45-day moratorium today at a meeting at the .

The at 29762 Rancho California has been trying for nearly a decade to upgrade its beer and wine seller’s license to a hard liquor seller’s license, said Mohammad Rahman, one of the owners.

It applied for the upgrade in 2002, but the city denied its application because it was too close to a church. It applied again in 2008, but withdrew its application when it realized somebody was running a daycare nearby, Rahman recalled today.

The daycare either moved or closed, so Rahman and his partners decided to apply again.

Customers in the area would like the permit approved, Rahman said. “It’s all the customers asking us for hard liquor. They would you buy beer here and go to Albertsons for hard liquor?”

The city’s Planning Commission approved the application on April 20 tentatively, and planned to discuss some conditions of the approval at its following meeting on May 4. At that meeting, the commissioners discussed an “unwritten city policy” against letting small stores sell hard liquor, according to city records.

The commission rescinded its previous decision and asked the City Council to clarify its unwritten policy, according to Associate Planner Cheryl Kitzerow.

Some residents oppose upgrading the convenience store’s license. “I think it’s an inappropriate place for Class A alcohol,” said Wayne Hall, a life-long Temecula resident. “It’s too close to apartments.”

The city’s staff recommended the planning commission deny the store’s application for similar reasons. “Historically, the city has not supported the issuance of type 21 licenses to gas stations or small convenience stores, as they are typically incompatible with surrounding land uses and have the potential for increased crime-related incidents,” Kitzerow wrote in a report.

The owners of the store feel they’re being discriminated against, because the city granted numerous liquor licenses since Stop Quick first applied, Rahman said.

Two small convenience stores like Stop Quick were permitted to sell hard liquor since 2002, according to city documents.

Barno’s Liquor and Melano’s Liquor were approved, but only because they had the licenses before the city incorporated and wanted to change locations.

Also, Pete’s Market got a license from the city just last month. The reason for the approval was Pete’s Market moved into Melano’s Liquor’s old location, where the liquor license was still good, according to city documents.

Rahman sees no practical difference between these places and his own. “Why would they give them one (permit) and not us one?” he said.

Business is slower than it was when the economy was good, and he thinks the permit will help him keep customers by saving them from having to go to the grocery store for hard alcohol.

Without the permit, Stop Quick will have a hard time staying open, Rahman said. “Basically, they’re running us out of town.”