ORDINANCE NO. 2257 (2nd READING). AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 17.76 (SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES), AND ADDING SECTION 17.76.030 (OPERATIONAL STANDARDS), OF CHAPTER 17.76 (SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES), OF TITLE 17 (ZONING) OF THE HAWTHORNE MUNICIPAL CODE, AND MAKING A FINDING OF EXEMPTION IN COMPLIANCE WITH CEQA IN CONNECTION THEREWITH. 
 

Staff Recommends that City Council adopt Ordinance No. 2257

The State of California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) issues various types of alcoholic beverage licenses, but defers to the local jurisdictions for land use approvals. In Hawthorne, this historically meant that all businesses intending to sell alcohol were required to obtain a conditional use permit (CUP) from the City prior to being issued an alcohol license by ABC. The City’s intention when creating a CUP requirement was to minimize the potentially harmful impacts to the community that the sale of alcohol may have in certain locations and circumstances. However, over the years, alcohol sales in conjunction with restaurants have been uniformly approved by the Planning Commission without any modification to the conditions of approval, and none have been denied. In situations where all of a particular type of application are routinely approved with essentially identical conditions, it is legitimate to ask if the applications can be managed in a less time-consuming and expensive way. In the case of alcohol sales, Staff believes the appropriate response is to codify the standard conditions of approval as operational standards in the chapter on alcohol sales, and make certain types of alcohol licenses administrative approvals.
One of the City’s economic development goals is to encourage restaurants to open in the City, and this amendment will lower the cost of establishing a restaurant here. Certain other types of alcohol permits are also proposed to be exempt from the CUP requirement. These include wholesale alcohol sales, industrial alcohol, California winegrowers’ agents, out-of-state shippers, temporary daily permits, at theaters, controlled access cabinets (such as in a hotel), and wine sales to the public through mail, telephone, or online. These types share the characteristics of either not providing sales to the general public, or under such conditions that are very unlikely to create negative impacts on the community.
One important addition to the chapter is a statement that indicates an exemption from the CUP requirement does not diminish the City’s ability to address nuisances that may be related to the sale of alcohol.
The CUP requirement remains unchanged for bars, taverns, liquor stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, and all other businesses selling alcohol at retail or for on-site consumption.

Goal 3: Improve development processing and customer service operations.
Goal 4: Update the zoning code for the 21st century.

Loss of conditional use permit application fees should be offset by increased restaurant sales tax and business license revenue.

The public hearing notice was published in the Hawthorne Press Tribune on April 24, 2025.