■ Group asked to be ‘umbrella’ to acquire ABC licenses for event

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

Local artist Pat Ryll will request a partnership Monday between the Downtown Benicia Alliance and First Street businesses in requesting special day licenses from the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control so wine may be served during the city’s Art Walk events.

Ryll, an active member of the DBA’s Art Walk committee, is concerned that ABC rules will prevent proprietors from serving wine to Art Walk participants — even as an expression of “hospitality.”

“For a First Street business to serve a taste of wine, at a reception open to the public, the business must have a $25 single-event ABC license,” Ryll wrote in a report to the DBA. She added Thursday, “I say ‘tastes’ because we’re not becoming a place to buy or to come to drink, it’s a hospitality taste.”

Economic Development Manager Mario Giuliani, who advises the DBA, said Friday that because the Art Walk is a city event, the city must protect itself from liability whenever alcohol is served.

“This year before Art Walk 2013 began, participants were given an Art Walk agreement, which among other things required they put up their Art Walk banner, be open during the time of the Art Walk, and not serve alcohol without an ABC license,” Giuliani said.

However, to acquire such a license, an establishment must be a nonprofit, Ryll noted. “That’s how Main Street does it for the Wine Walk, they’re a nonprofit,” she said.

But the galleries and other businesses that participate in the Art Walk are not nonprofits. So Ryll spoke with Giuliani about getting the DBA involved, to act as an umbrella group that supplies downtown merchants with temporary single-event ABC licenses.

“He said it was probably a good idea to check with their insurance carrier, to see if they have adequate insurance to cover that and then bring it to the board meeting, which I’m going to do on Monday,” Ryll said.

“The bottom line is the DBA does have adequate insurance to cover that, and I’m going to ask them to be the umbrella to be able to supply the people on First Street if they want to serve alcohol at a reception or an Art Walk, that they can comply with the ABC.”

She said the $25 license fee would be paid by each business requesting a license, not the DBA. “There’s not dollars out the door for the DBA. If I’m the Plein Air Gallery, I’d go to the DBA, get the license, pay the $25.”

If the DBA agrees, some training must be organized on how to responsibly distribute small amounts of alcohol to the public at a single event, Ryll said.

The Art Walk is Saturday; the next one is scheduled for Sept. 14.

Also Monday, the DBA will review and discuss an assessment collection procedure. City staff will review a list of those businesses that have an outstanding balance and seek direction from the DBA on how to proceed with collections.

“As of (Friday), there are 12 delinquent businesses,” Giuliani said. “Those businesses will be named and discussed on Monday.

“I will recommend that the board, one last time, make a personal appeal to these business owners, that the bill be paid by the end of the month or the DBA will move to hire a collection agency which will begin collection proceedings, which will affect the credit rating of the delinquent businesses,” he said.

If You Go
The Downtown Benicia Alliance will meet Monday at 9 a.m. at The Rellik Tavern, 726 First St.

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