2019-02-21 Liquor Adjudication Board Minutes (2)

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Gonzalez: Yes. I believe the report states that these were prior hostesses that had been registered as hostesses at a different establishment before so they should have known. Smith: Right. They did know because they were registered. Did you take that into account when you were assessing the fine? Gonzalez: We did. It kind of worked against us because the Licensee may have misunderstood. She knew that they were already registered as hostesses, so the nuance there is that they have to register for each bar they work in. They may have been registered as hostesses at another bar, they may not have renewed; but we couldn't determine clearly if that was clearly communicated to the owner from the hostess holding it. That is a really good question. Smith: Okay. Taniguchi: on the card it says the name of the establishment? Schoen: The person I thought, it would be the person. Gonzalez: It is the person. We keep track, we have the list for each of the hostess bars of who is registered there. That's a good question, though. Masuda: So they don't have one card per bar? Gonzalez: The way the Rule reads they are supposed to. I will have to take a look at that because we might only give them one card with a hostess number and we keep a list for each bar they're at. Then you don't have to keep making different cards for them. Do you see what I'm saying? Mukai: So they actually had a card on them, then? Smith: It expired. Mukai: Oh, it expired? Gonzalez: There was an expired one. M u kai : Oh, I see. Gonzalez: And one I think, couldn't provide a card for us. Smith: But in your research it showed that one of them had it in 2014 and one of them had it in 2010, and it expired since they're only good for two years, right? Gonzalez: Yes. Smith: Okay. The other related question I have is the initial complaint that came in from the patron, talked about them watering down liquor and it had the investigator open a couple bottles of tequila and vodka, smelled it and said it smelled like alcohol. It seemed like there was a complaint about them adulterating, putting something in bottles they are not supposed to. What's the procedure to determine whether they're compliant and not doing what the complainant said? FEBRUARY 21, 2019 - LIQUOR ADJUDICATION BOARD MINUTES 14