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LCB chief briefs board on joint investigations, bilingual outreach and responsible‑sales training
Summary
The Liquor and Cannabis Board’s enforcement chief updated the caucus on recent joint investigations with local police, expanded outreach including bilingual trainings (Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese), and responsible‑sales classes that reached dozens of attendees in the last quarter.
Larry, the Board’s enforcement and education chief, briefed the caucus on March 31 about recent enforcement partnerships and community outreach designed to prevent violations and help licensees comply.
Larry said field teams conducted joint investigations and compliance checks with Tacoma, Sunnyside and Ellensburg police departments and multiple sheriff’s offices, focusing on unlicensed sales, diversion and other operations. He described roll‑call training and task force participation to help local agencies understand applicable liquor and cannabis regulations.
Education and accessibility work was a major focus. The chief said the Board has extended a responsible cannabis sales class and continues virtual responsible‑sales training; in the last 90 days the agency recorded about 35 liquor attendees and 31 cannabis attendees for its classes. The education program reported 23 bilingual contacts in that period, and staff highlighted two officers who lead language‑specific outreach: Officer Octavio Nogales (Spanish) and Officer Yu Chen (Mandarin/Chinese). The director's office helped produce a Cantonese regulatory translation with assistance from Brian Smith and the communications team.
Why it matters: The Board framed these activities as prevention tools to reduce violations, improve compliance and make enforcement more accessible to licensees who prefer languages other than English. Board members were invited to attend classes or community briefings and offered support for continued outreach.
Next steps: The Board encouraged continued coordination with local agencies and periodic updates on outreach results and the ISG’s related work.
