Liquor Inspection Program Worries Business Owners (big business vs small)

[The Straight Story]

Liquor Inspection Program Worries Business Owners
By Richard Brenneman (01-15-08)


Is Berkeley going dry? Dorothee Mitrani-Bell said there’s cause for concern in light of rising city regulatory and financial pressures.

“Is Berkeley going Prohibition on us?” asked the proprietor of La Note at 2377 Shattuck Ave. and Cafe Clem at 2703 Seventh St.

Her concern—shared by other small business owners who run restaurants and neighborhood stores—is that a new $467 annual inspection fee piled onto other license and training costs for businesses that sell alcohol places a heavy burden on those least able to afford it.

The new fees would be imposed should the City Council vote tonight (Tuesday) to adopt an ordinance to implement the law it passed Dec. 11 titled Operating Standards for Alcohol Outlets.

One concern, said an official of the Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA), is that the smallest shops and restaurants must pay the same fee as major chain liquor stores.

http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=01-15-08&storyID=28920