Huntington Beach council approves expanded alcohol license for Distractions Lounge despite school district opposition

The Huntington Beach City Council voted 4–2 on June 2 to approve a conditional use permit that will let Distractions Lounge at 16612 Beach Boulevard upgrade from a beer‑and‑wine license to a full on‑sale distilled‑spirits license (Type 48). The decision follows a public hearing marked by emotional testimony from parents, school officials and neighbors who said the venue’s proximity to Westmont Elementary and repeated police responses make the change inappropriate.

The council heard a staff presentation outlining the project and police department recommendations aimed at reducing impacts. Planning manager Ricky Ramos told the council the Planning Commission had approved the request after finding it met land‑use compatibility standards and that the police department recommended conditions including limited hours, required security and employee training. “The City Council may approve the proposed project based on suggested findings and conditions of approval that promote safe service of alcohol,” staff said in its summary.

The police presentation narrowed calls for service at the address: Captain Kevin Johnson said officers logged 28 calls at the premises over a three‑year review period but, after examining the records, identified seven incidents directly attributable to Distractions Lounge. He said other entries in a longer list of incidents included incidents tied to adjacent suites, bar checks, or activities not directly linked to the bar.

Ocean View School District officials and trustees pressed the council to deny the upgrade. Gina Clayton Tarvin, president of the Ocean View School District board, said the school is uniquely exposed to a concentration of alcohol‑serving venues and urged the council to ‘‘put public safety, neighborhood integrity and the interests of our students first.’’ Trustee Carrie Grosaj asked for ongoing accountability measures, including annual police reviews and reporting of suspected drink‑spiking incidents.

Several nearby residents and business owners described repeated disturbances close to their homes and cited documented calls for service, assaults and a sexual assault that began with patrons drinking at the establishment. ‘‘We have read the HBPD’s report about increasing police calls, disturbances in the area, and concerns from neighboring tenants. Those are serious warning signs,’’ said trustee Carrie Grosaj.

Council members who voted to approve the CUP cited the new conditions that would attach to the permit, and repeatedly deferred to the police department’s evaluation. The conditions read into the record include hours of operation (typically noon–midnight Sunday–Thursday; noon–2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday), mandatory responsible beverage service training, interior‑only consumption with no off‑site sales, surveillance requirements with at least one month of stored footage available to police, minimum security staff on busy nights, clear visibility into the premises and a performance standard that could trigger modification or revocation if calls for service rose more than 25% over a 12‑month period.

Councilman Chad Williams led the appeal and asked colleagues to consider whether the permit would be ‘‘detrimental to the residents and to students.’’ Supporters of the CUP, including a planning commissioner and the applicant’s representative, argued that approving a CUP creates enforceable conditions and a path to shut the business down if it becomes a nuisance; those safeguards do not exist while the business remains grandfathered without a CUP.

Vote: Councilmembers Kennedy, Twining (Mayor Pro Tem) and McKeon (Mayor) and Burns voted to approve the CUP. Councilmembers Grohl and Williams voted no. The approval authorizes the Type 48 license subject to the Planning Department and Police Department conditions; the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) license process remains separate.

What’s next: The CUP includes a required one‑year police review and explicit conditions that allow the city to require corrective actions, impose additional conditions, or pursue modification or revocation if performance standards are not met. The applicant still must obtain any required building permits and secure the ABC license to serve distilled spirits.

Quote: ‘‘With this CUP, we can implement conditions that do not currently exist and provide oversight and regulation,’’ Mayor McKeon said during deliberations.

Ending: The council’s action will take effect under the city’s normal permitting and ABC processes; staff said enforcement tools and the annual PD review will be used to measure community impact and compliance.