Deadline Nears for Required Responsible Beverage Service Training

Deadlines begin this month for alcohol retailers in Redlands to ensure their staff undergoes Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training. One of the conditions that must be met under the city’s new Deemed Approved ordinance (DAO), RBS training helps alcohol retail businesses stay in compliance with other standards of operation to help curb underage sales, nuisance activities and crime related to alcohol retail practices. The RBS trainings are one component city efforts to tackle alcohol-related issues as part of the Responsible Redlands Initiative. On March 17 Redlands became the third city in San Bernardino County to adopt a Deemed Approved Ordinance, the new measure giving local law enforcement tools to ensure that alcohol retailers comply with standards beneficial to the surrounding community. Alcohol retailers who fail to follow standards risk penalties including potential loss of their alcohol license. “Since the tragic shooting outside a local bar in 2011, we have been working to identify the means to prevent these types of incidents from happening again,” said Redlands Chief of Police Mark A. Garcia. “This DAO assists the city in working with businesses to prevent issues from getting to this point and sets standards to ensure positive business practices.” While California law gives the state the authority to issue, restrict and revoke liquor licenses, the DAO gives local law enforcement the authority to address issues by proactively working together with alcohol retailers to improve business practices. “We encourage cities to take proactive measures and resolve problematic issues with alcohol retailers,” said Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Director Timothy Gorsuch. “These efforts enable the city to address challenging business practices within their communities through their land use authority.” RBS training serves as a community-based approach to work with alcohol retailers in promoting public safety and reducing risks typically associated with the retail alcohol environment, according to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Recommended educational goals for these trainings include a focus on: • Improving public health and safety; • Setting a higher professional standard for retailer services; • Improving the business sustainability of responsible establishments; and • Increasing the quality of life of neighboring communities. According to the ordinance, Redlands alcohol retailers have 60 days for new staff hired after the Feb. 17 passage of the ordinance to complete an approved RBS training. For existing staff, the deadline is six months after passage. What does this mean for the Redlands Community? The goal of the ordinance is to ensure that alcohol retailers function in ways that won’t negatively affect the surrounding community. Under the law, nuisance activities such as public drunkenness and excessive noise on the property of alcohol outlets must be resolved in a timely manner. In addition, owners and employees of these businesses must not take part in or assist in the violation of any city, state, or federal laws in or around their premises. The new law sets these performance standards for alcohol retailers to avoid the disruption of the health, safety and peace of those living and working nearby. Although opponents of the DAO expressed concern that the ordinance would mean shutting down local alcohol retail businesses, a recent analysis of 16 different cities throughout California that have adopted DAOs, conducted by the San Diego Alcohol Policy Panel, refutes this. It revealed that from among the 7,326 alcohol businesses under the authority of the ordinance, only four were impacted in any way. Two were suspended briefly, while the other two had their conditional use permits revoked due to problematic business practices and frequent violations. “Most of our alcohol establishments have positive business practices, and we expect that to continue,” said Chief Garcia. “The Redlands Police Department will always strive to improve the quality of life for all of Redlands’ residents and visitors.” The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control provides a list of RBS training providers throughout California. Businesses interested in arranging training can check online at https://www.tracelead.abc.ca.gov/traceleadpublic/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=LEADClassesAvailableByLocation.