Los Angeles City Council approves conditions on Redondo Liquor’s alcohol sales after neighbors cite loitering and crime

The Los Angeles City Council on March 1 approved a committee report imposing conditions on Redondo Liquor’s conditional use permit for on‑site sales of alcoholic beverages after extensive public testimony from neighbors and the store owner and a review of police call data.

Neighbors and community groups told the council that the store at Washington and Redondo boulevards has long been a neighborhood convenience but also attracts loitering, panhandling and other disturbances. The store owner, Steve Kim, said the business functions largely as a convenience market, serves local residents and that reported problems declined after a nearby recycling center closed. Diana Kraytian, chair of the South Orange Drive 2000 Action Committee, and other speakers said they have collected petitions and want stronger enforcement of conditions already ordered by courts.

The committee report, introduced by Council Member Bernard (Mister Bernsen), cited police records showing 195 calls during the prior year for incidents at or near the location and said the number and timing of calls supported requiring on‑site security and surveillance. Council members noted only 15 of the calls were made from the liquor store itself, meaning the majority of calls came from other sources in the area, but the committee concluded enhanced conditions were needed to protect the surrounding neighborhood.

Council discussion emphasized that the action was not intended to close the market. Bernsen and others said the grocery function could remain; the conditions apply to liquor sales specifically. The council described the action as a conditional use permit with new conditions rather than a revocation. The conditions discussed and that the council required in the committee report include on‑site security guards patrolling inside and outside the premises, expanded video surveillance while the store is open, and stricter enforcement of prior court‑ordered property maintenance requirements. Council members also directed the store to comply promptly with the listed conditions and said failure to do so could lead to termination of the ability to sell alcoholic beverages at the site.

Council members asked LAPD for more detail about the 195 calls and scheduled enforcement follow‑up: the council required the store to return with a status report in four months so members could evaluate whether the conditions were effective and whether adjustments were appropriate. Bernsen acknowledged the added financial burden the conditions place on the store and said the goal was to protect the neighborhood while keeping the market operating.

The public hearing closed and the council opened the roll on the committee report. The motion to adopt the committee report imposing conditions carried on a unanimous vote, recorded as 13 ayes.

The council made clear the decision distinguishes discussion and direction from any formal revocation: the current outcome imposes conditions and a monitoring schedule; termination of liquor sales remains a possible enforcement step only if conditions are not met.