W. Los Angeles : Ralphs to Remain Open

A spokesman for the Ralphs chain said that its supermarket in the Beverly Connection shopping center will continue to stay open around the clock, despite a letter from the city saying the store should close at 11 p.m.

The letter from Los Angeles Zoning Administrator Frank Eberhard came after representatives of two neighborhood groups protested the sale of liquor at the supermarket, which is located near the corner of 3rd Street and La Cienega Boulevard.

After operating for more than 50 years at another location two blocks away, the store opened in the Beverly Connection Jan. 19. But it did not have a license to sell liquor at its new location until June, when the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Department allowed the sale of alcohol from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The city also allowed the sale of liquor, but with more stringent conditions. “My intention was to limit the hours of operation for the market as well, because alcohol sales were only part of the problem,” said Jon Perica, a zoning officer. He said that unless the store was closed and the lot emptied by security officers, late-buying customers might consume alcoholic beverages on the premises.

In his letter, Eberhard told Ralphs that it would have to close the entire store at 11 p.m. if it continued selling alcohol.

But he said that Ralphs could apply for a change in the city’s ruling, and that the Building and Safety Department would not enforce it until the matter is resolved.

“Frankly, there has not been any problem,” said Jan Charles Gray, senior vice president of the supermarket chain. “We’re going to ask to be able to sell liquor during the normal hours available under state law, and to keep the store open 24 hours.”