The Woodland Daily Democrat reported Tuesday that investigators with the California Alcoholic Beverage Control revoked La Finca’s liquor license. La Finca is a popular bar and club in Woodland that has been the location of fights, stabbings and, in March, a shooting that resulted in a murder.
According to ABC officials, the official reason for the liquor license suspension has been that the bar has been operating what they call a “disorderly house” and has been a drain on law enforcement.
The March 6 shooting resulted in the death of a 20-year-old Williams resident just outside of the bar, and another resident was wounded. There have been no arrests in that case.
The Daily Democrat reports, “In addition to the shooting, La Finca was also the scene of a 2008 stabbing that sent two men to the hospital and a 2009 fight that led to a police chase and ended in a car crash. In 2007, police were called to La Finca to break up a fight after a 500-person hip-hop concert closed.”
According to a March Davis Enterprise article, there have been numerous disturbances at the bar.
Wrote Lauren Keene, “In May 2007, an event billed as a fundraiser for a Sacramento State University fraternity deteriorated into a series of fights outside the nightclub that required Woodland police to seek backup from neighboring law-enforcement agencies. The incident led to downtown traffic jams as officers directed partygoers toward the freeway.”
She added, “About two years later, in April 2009, officers were again summoned to break up a large fight in the street outside the business. Two people, including a security guard, were injured after being struck with bottles.”
The Vanguard’s interest in the establishment stems from a 2008 stabbing in which Jose Valenzuela was put on trial last December for attempted murder of two individuals.
Mr. Valenzuela was acquitted of the first stabbing, but the jury hung 11-1 for acquittal on the second, and hung on lesser charges.
Antonio Alvarez and Jesus Garcia were stabbed shortly before 2am on May 18, 2008, after the night club in Woodland let out. Mr. Alvarez was severely injured and almost died due to blood loss. According to Deputy District Attorney Robert Trudgen, he had been stabbed seven times, including twice in the back of the head, in his upper thigh, in the armpit area and on his right wrist.
Mr. Garcia had significantly less serious wounds, but nevertheless was stabbed in his back twice.
DDA Trudgen described during trial that Mr. Alvarez had been “butchered,” and the photos showed certainly look that way. However, both men recovered and were able to testify during the trial.
Mr. Valenzuela will face re-trial later this year on the hung charges, but it would appear from evidence and the overwhelming jury decision that he is not the culprit and the actual culprit is still at large.
According to the complaint against La Finca, ABC views the business as a “public safety hazard.” Mr. Carr indicated that ABC worked closely with the Woodland Police Department during a several-month investigation.
Reports the Daily Democrat, “ABC filed an accusation against La Finca for multiple ABC violations including sales to a minor, employment of a minor who was involved in the service of alcohol, license condition violations and because the owners were operating a disorderly house, Carr said.”
The paper reports, “After negotiations between ABC and the owners of La Finca, the owners agreed to a revocation of the license, Carr said. ABC has suspended the license before.”
They continue, “The bar and restaurant owners, Eusevio Vidales Rivera and Luz Maria Rivera, understand they are no longer allowed to sell alcohol, according to ABC officials. The license as a general eating place expires in December but it has operating restrictions.”
“Carr said the owners have six months to sell the license to another individual but it can’t be used at the same location. Rivera can apply for a new license after a year but ABC will consider past history before signing off on the request,” the report concludes.
It is unclear what La Finca intends to do without a license to sell liquor.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
ABC did the right thing here…
I dont know why it took so long but I am glad it’s done.
Totally agree
So here is the deal. The state lets bar owners run their operations pretty much however they want but there is this unwritten rule, if somebody dies because of what happens at the bar the ABC comes in and closes you down. This way everybody knows what the expectation is for bar owners, keep your patrons alive. Notice that the fights, knife injuries and everything else didn’t close it down but when someone got killed the state stepped in. Notice that it is the state and not the local DA that does this removing local politics from the process. They did the same thing in Davis when the kid died after over drinking on his 21st birthday. In that case they let the bar owner sell his liquor license, probably, only because the owner was an attorney and could fight it himself. I imagine they didn’t want to lose a single case to be consistent so all bar owners know the score.
Interesting observation Mr. Toad.
Can someone explain to me how a bar or restaurant gets its liquor license in the first place? Do they buy it from the state? If so, when it is revoked do they get their money back? Can one business buy a liquor license from another?
Or is it the case that the licenses don’t cost money? If so, what type of record of operation must the business owner have to get a license? Or can a brand new business get one?
What about corporations? Could, for example, the ABC pull the liquor license from a chain restaurant or a supermarket chain?
In the case of La Finca, what would happen if the owner shut down his bar–which I guess he will have to–and then he wants to open another one under a new name: Can the new bar get a liquor license? If not, could the La Finca owner own a minority share in a new business which wants a liquor license? Or is he just sh!t out of luck forever?
You pretty much apply for it from the state.
I don’t know enough to know if it is fungible, but I think the licenses have to be renewed.
There is a fee involved with getting a license.
My experience was in getting a one day license for events, where you fill out an application, pay a fee, and get a license if your proposal is reasonable.
The bar could re-apply for a license, but now given the record it would not be as easy to get approval. If they stay in business, at some point, they probably will get a license, but how they will stay in business is anyone’s guess.