Laguna Art Walk alcohol draws police attention
For more than a decade, some Laguna Beach galleries and art-related businesses have served complimentary wine and beer to guests browsing collections during the First Thursdays Art Walk, a free monthly event that may also feature musical performances along with new exhibits.
The owners may or may not have known they needed a license to serve the beverages, but many said they never encountered resistance from the authorities — until three weeks ago.
On Nov. 3, undercover officers from the Laguna Beach Police Department and the state’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control cited five galleries and two other businesses for serving alcohol without a license, Laguna Beach police Sgt. Tim Kleiser said.
Some business owners are miffed, saying they were caught off-guard that law enforcement was considering such action.
“I was completely shocked that no warning was given,” said Pam Panattoni, president of Laguna North Gallery. “[Police] were inside the gallery at 6 p.m. They could have said, ‘This is not allowed.’ They waited an hour and handed a citation. We could have been given a warning.”
Laguna North is a cooperative of 13 members who deal in oil, pastel and water color paintings. Panattoni said the gallery doesn’t serve wine at every Art Walk, which is held from 6 to 9 p.m., and when it does, only a small amount, about an ounce, is pre-poured into plastic cups.
Meanwhile at Nuance Home + Lifestyle, assistant manager Katherine Caporale said officers “acted like they were interested in art and flashed their badges.”
The business sells interior furnishings and features artists.
“It was weird,” said Caparole, adding that the business has served wine and cheese during Art Walk before without a fuss.
“We had not heard anything before that indicated there would be enforcement,” she said. “If we were told, we would not have served it.”
Kleiser said police sent a letter to businesses that said the department “has experienced some issues during Thursday’s Art Walk.”
He declined to elaborate, but according to a copy of the letter, problems included amplified music or outside speakers, drinking in public, intoxicated subjects and displays creeping onto sidewalks.
The licensing also apparently became an issue with police, although it was not mentioned in the warning letter. Of the seven businesses cited, six served wine and one served beer, Kleiser said.
The city’s code prohibits the consumption of alcohol in a public place, including on streets, sidewalks and parking lots, the letter said. Kleiser did not say how many businesses received the letter.
Torrey Cook, vice president of the First Thursdays Art Walk board, said 25 people, including board members and gallery owners, met with police and an ABC agent in late October to discuss various issues related to the monthly events, including outdoor displays, music and the rules regarding the serving of alcohol.
Cook said the meeting, organized by police, was sparsely attended, and this, she believes, is why many business owners were not aware there would be a crackdown.
“I knew about it because I’m on the board, but not many gallery owners showed up to the meeting,” Cook said.
Nonetheless, Cook, founder and owner of Artists Republic Gallery, said she had no idea police would arrive at galleries unannounced and not in uniform. Cook, who does not serve alcohol, said she discovered the next day that officers had been inside the gallery.
“I was not aware of the undercover operation,” Cook said. “It’s really disheartening. We work really hard to have an artist reception. No one communicated to stop serving alcohol. It doesn’t seem nice or respectful.”
Kleiser said police and ABC officers patrolled bars and restaurants on Nov. 3, looking for employees who may have tried to serve alcohol to an underage decoy that accompanied them. He said he is not sure how or if that operation morphed into the gallery galleries.
All seven citations issued were considered criminal misdemeanors, meaning they could result in a maximum $1,000 fine, up to one year in jail or both, Kleiser wrote in a follow-up email.
This is not the first time rumblings about alcohol and Art Walk have surfaced in Laguna.
Last fall, Christiana Lewis, art director at Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art, said the drinking during Art Walk had gotten out of hand, according to columnist Dave Hansen’s Oct. 12, 2015, column in the Coastline Pilot.
“It went from being a beautiful, cultural event filled with live music, friends gathering and actually having discussions about art, to this drunk walk. It’s like a pub crawl,” Lewis is quoted as saying.
“We want the public to be safe along the lines of operating within the guidelines of the law,” Kleiser said, adding that police will reach out to businesses as part of an education campaign to let them know what is and is not allowed.
Panattoni said Laguna North Gallery members agreed to pay the attorney’s fees for the one member of the cooperative who was cited.
As for the next Art Walk, Panattoni said participating members are “definitely not going to serve wine.” She added that the group will meet next week to consider whether to continue participating in Art Walk.
“We are devastated at the unfairness of it,” she said.
Twitter: @AldertonBryce
