Crime and Alcohol in Communities

In a free society that allows alcohol to become a way of life comes with a price for communities and crime that can spiral out of control.

Recently, the Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Association presented a 24 page report to the Huntington Beach City Council regarding alcohol and public safety matters in Downtown Huntington Beach.

Here are some alarming statistics for Huntington Beach:

1) 306% more off-sales alcohol per capita than Orange County.

2) 776% more on-sales alcohol per capita than Orange County.

Obviously, there is a problem.

Let's shift to Fullerton. The highest concentration of bars are situated in Downtown Fullerton along Harbor Blvd and Commonwealth Ave.

According to the ABC (Alcohol Beverage Control) from the State of California statistics for the City of Fullerton are as follows:

Zip Code: 92831 41: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 35: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses
Zip Code: 92832 77: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 27: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses
Zip Code: 92835 15: Active On-Sale Retail Licenses 16: Active Off-Sale Retail Licenses

There are a grand total of outstanding 211 licenses has been issued by the ABC to various retail establishments in Fullerton that averages for every 597 residents makes up for one retail unit that sells alcohol.

A free society comes with responsibilities to ensure a peaceful communities without anarchy and violence that could become a burden to municipal resources (i.e., police, public safety, etc.)

Communities like Huntington Beach and Fullerton needs to examine the policies regarding the concentration of on-sale and off-sale retailers that sell liquor.