Council Split in Vote to Approve Beer and Wine at Sports Park

After sometimes fierce debate, the San Clemente City Council voted to allow limited wine and beer sales at a city concession in the new La Pata-Vista Hermosa Sports Park slated to open this fall.

The council members were universally in favor of the lease for

Brown was particularly fervent in his opposition, saying San Clemente had a "cultural problem" with too much drinking.

About 15 residents showed up to speak about granting the license, with roughly 10 against issuing it.

Though the Planning Commission and the council approved the permit to allow the sale of beer and wine at the park, Tuesday night was when they voted on a specific lease agreement that would allow Melcher to serve it, limited to two drinks for consumption on the premises.

The Beaches, Parks and Recreation Commission voted 7-0 against allowing the alcohol permit, but the city staff recommended allowing limited sales.

"I'm sure most of you have kids or grandkids that are going to use the park," said Robert Jenkins, a youth coach who spoke at the meeting. "I can't for the life of me see this going through."

Connie Gagliardo, a trauma coordinator at Mission Hospital, said she sees the results of alcohol-related assaults and car accidents all the time and doesn't think there needs to be another licensed venue in the new sports park where youth sports fields are offered.

Some proponents who spoke cited the alcohol concessions offered at Steed Park and the San Clemente Pier, both of which are city property. They also said they thought limited alcohol sales, which would be monitored to stay inside the insular restaurant facility—itself inside the closed-off mini-golf course/wave pool—would be an amenity appreciated by guests that would help give Melcher a better chance at business success.

Because it was a public hearing, the council called Melcher to the dais to answer questions about the alcohol permit. The discussion between him and Brown became heated at certain points.

"It's meant to be a positive for the community," Melcher said. "I've been at this for 5½ years, and I've done everything I've been told to do."

Bob Baker, who voted in favor of allowing the permit—which is eligible for review and suspension six months after opening or anything the staff or council deem necessary—said he didn't want to be in the business of "legislating morality."

"The perception that I've heard tonight that alcohol would be served at Little League games is not true," Baker said. "There were 250 [DUI] arrests last year. That is not going to be changed by a 3,000-square-foot restaurant that serves two glasses of beer or wine. All five of us are going to keep and eye on this project and watch it very closely."