Council delivers up the right decision

The Newport Beach City Council gets its share of heat from

residents and, certainly, from this paper. It is easy to criticize

city councils and other city leaders when they make bad decisions.

It is important, therefore, to deliver applause when it is due.

And the Newport Beach City Council without a doubt made the right

decision last week when it denied a request from a pizza parlor to

deliver beer and wine along with food.

During the debate over the proposal by the yet-to-open Hotties

Pizza, a number of side issues arose, most notably the

alcohol-related problems West Newport suffers around the Fourth of

July. While those played a role in the outcome, the core of the

matter was clear: The delivery of alcohol could too easily be abused

by would-be underage drinkers.

That concern was succinctly summed up by the two public speakers

at the meeting, who spoke out loudly against the request.

“It would be insane to allow Hotties to deliver alcohol with

pizza,” said Corona del Mar resident Laura Dietz, who also is a

former council candidate.

The council, it also should be noted, did not flatly deny the

claim. The councilmen were loath to restrict this business’ practice,

especially had there been another business in town already delivering

alcohol with food. But, with city staff members unaware of any other

such business, the decision was made more easily. So business people

should not take this decision as a sign of a suddenly anti-business

council.

Councilman Gary Proctor also noted, rightly, that the request was

not without potential upsides. Theoretically, he said, people who

have already had too much to drink and want a little more, plus a

slice or two of pizza, would be able to have both brought to their

door.

But it is a slim upside, one not worth contributing to what many

in town believe is an all-too regular problem of teenage alcohol

abuse.

To address that problem, the council would be right to take the

decision a step further and forbid any business from delivering

alcohol in the city. Residents should be aware there were hints at

the meeting that such a decision might be in the future.

It is a future well worth making a reality.