Protest by
Bernice Canutt Protest by John
J. Gillotti Protest by Fred
Austin
Protest by
Bernice Canutt
Protest by John
J. Gillotti
Protest by Fred
Austin
1-23-97 The following are protest letters that were sent to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control in an attempt to block a license to sell beer and wine at the Agua Dulce Market
The Richards are applying for a wine and beer license for the newly re-opened full service market in Agua Dulce. They want to sell only beer and wine, no hard liquor. They are amenable to not selling single cans or wine coolers and will not stock fortified wine or beer.
The Acton Market sells beer, wine and the hard stuff and they do not seem to have a problem with public drunkenness, skateboarding, or loitering. Responsible merchants would not allow such a problem.
The community of Agua Dulce needs a well-run local food market, and that is what Richards' Market intends to be, not a liquor store, as claimed by these protesters. Perhaps these protesters should concentrate on getting rid of some of the trashy liquor stores where the drunken itinerants congregate. Liquor stores typically derive 60% or more of their moneys from the sale of liquor, and stock liquor as their primary item.
Markets stock foodstuffs as their primary item with the beer, wine and hard liquor as a convenience rather than a staple! The sale of booze at a market is typically only about 5% of their total sales.
Read the following unedited letters and see what you think. They do not want any more liquor stores. Good, we agree that we do not need them. However, the people applying for the license want to operate a food market, not a liquor store, and a food market is needed.
The three letters are similar in their approach of trying to blame the problems caused by the liquor store on the food market. The Agua Dulce General Store has an ad in the Agua Dulce Chamber of commerce Business directory, and half the ad is for liquor and wine. A drive by its location shows the building covered by ugly gross cardboard signs for alcohol and cigarettes.
To It May Concern:
This letter is regarding the re-opening of the market at 33301 Agua Dulce Canyon Road, Agua Dulce California, 91350. I a resident of Agua Dulce feel we don't need another business who sells alcohol in our small community. We already have 5 businesses in our community who sell alcohol. This location in the past have brought many problems to the residents of Agua Dulce. It is an attractive nuisance for skate boarders and attracts many illegal aliens to this location. Our small community can't support more businesses we already have 2 liquor\markets in Agua Dulce. I'm asking you to turn down the request to obtain a beer and wine license.
Sincerely,
Bernice Canutt phone: 805-268-0400,
11425 Durango Lane 805-268-0121
Agua Dulce CA. 91350
Bernice Canutt is the owner of Century 21 at 33358 Agua Dulce Canyon Road which is directly across the street from the liquor store. This is where the "illegal aliens", as she calls them, hang out. She has the large lighted sign which many residents find non confirming in the rural standards survey. She has been asked to turn it off when she is closed., but she continues to keep it lighted late into the night. Her other office in Acton has an illegal off-premise sign located on the freeway off ramp. It has been reported to L A County and is under investigation.
She incorrectly claims the market has "brought many problems to the residents of Agua Dulce", and "attracts many illegal aliens". No one except her fellow protesters claim the food market has caused any problems. In fact the skate boarding comment is silly, as it is a well known fact that the property owner, Jack Wyle, is hostile to any skateboarders he finds on the property. With the food market now open, it will attract even less skateboard riders, as the marker owners will also keep them off the property.
Ms Canutt is also a member of the Agua Dulce Chamber of Commerce.
To Whom It May Concern:
I'm very upset to hear of the re-opening of the beer and whine store at 33301 Agua Dulce Cyn. Rd. Agua Dulce, California. I a resident of Agua Dulce feel that we don't need another liquor store in our small community. This is a very stupid idea because there is already way to many businesses in our town who already sell beer and wine. I believe that the less we have the better it will be to reduce our problems in our community. I strongly request for you to turn down their application for the license.
John J. Gillotti
33205 Pewter Rd.
Agua Dulce CA. 91350
John Gillotti is a member of the Agua Dulce Chamber of Commerce. He is protesting a new liquor store. He seems to not understand that the application is for a food market and not a liquor store. He is right, the less liquor stores, the better. He says "the less we have the better it will be to reduce our problems in our community". He should be trying to close the liquor store instead of protesting the food market.
To: A.B.C. & Anyone else concerned,
As a six year resident of Agua Dulce I am opposed to the proposed issuance of another
permit to sell liquor here in Agua Dulce for the following reasons:
We already have two (2) liquor stores within our community population 3200.
We all ready have enough itinerant workers hanging around town urinating in the streets,
after consuming liquor
There are not enough people/customers in town to support three liquor stores.
Thank you for your consideration on this matter.
Sincerely,
Fred Austin
12036 Darling Rd.
Agua Dulce CA. 91350
805-268-0955
Fred Austin said it right "We all ready have enough itinerant workers hanging around town urinating in the streets, after consuming liquor."
What he failed to say is the "itinerant workers" have always hung out in front of the liquor store. The Agua Dulce General Store is owned by Chamber Member Sam Gheir. They are there now in front of the liquor store where they have always been, not at the food market
The liquor store owners seem to do nothing to stop the problems of loitering, public drunkenness, itinerant workers urinating in the streets and creating a nuisance, so these problems continue.
The local sheriff, Bill Phelton, said that if anyone had a problem with itinerants they could call him 24 hours a day, to clear them out. I wonder why the owner of the liquor store is not calling dally? Maybe these itinerants are his customer base.
The Food market caters to families on a solid food diet, not the liquid diet proffered by those "hang out" at the corner
The reopening of a full service food market does not create the problems mentioned in the above letters, and a market would not exacerbate the existing problem, either. If anything, the operation of a responsible food market would alleviate the problems by drawing off the community customers for wine and beer to a clean safe business. Maybe this will force the liquor store owner to clean up the problems described by these letters.
Those problems were there when the market was open and were still there when it was closed but never in front of the market
These letters of complaints do not apply to the food market, but in fact are in indictment of the Liquor store in Agua Dulce. Perhaps these people should be working to clean the liquor store.
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