The Redondo Beach City Council directed staff to prepare an ordinance to permit general food sales — a category that state law includes beer and wine — at service stations in the city’s coastal zone.

Luke Smooty, assistant to the city manager, told the council that the Business and Professions Code defines "general food sales" to include beer and wine and that the city’s October 2023 ordinance authorized general food sales only in the inland zone with specific local restrictions (locked coolers, no single-serve alcohol, limits on advertising, no drive-through alcohol sales, caps on retail space devoted to beer and wine and prohibitions on on-premises consumption or gaming). He said local rules could be mirrored for the coastal zone but that the Coastal Commission review or an LCP amendment may be required.

Council members debated economic and neighborhood impacts. Council member Waller said he saw no reason to treat the coastal zone differently from the adjacent inland area and that allowing the changes would encourage business investment. Council member Castle said restricting beer and wine sales had harmed at least one franchisee’s ability to operate and that mirroring inland-zone rules would support local business investment.

Public commenters included Samuel Martinian, the owner/operator of a remodeled service station who said the municipal code’s language had unfairly limited his business; Dr. Andy Lesser, who said he changed his view and supported allowing sales under the inland-zone restrictions; and Marcy Guillermo (via Zoom), who opposed the change on neighborhood-impact grounds. Council members emphasized that any ordinance would include the inland-zone restrictions if adopted and that Coastal Commission review steps would be confirmed when staff returns with an ordinance draft.

Council member Castle moved and the council seconded direction to prepare an ordinance mirroring inland-zone rules; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said they will return with a draft ordinance and confirm whether the proposal requires a Local Coastal Program amendment and Coastal Commission review.