Liquor licenses for 2 Arcata bars revoked
Editor’s note: According to readers at times- standard.com, these were the Top 10 Humboldt County news stories of 2020. Got something to say about this list? Let us know at letters@times-standard.com.
In April, a state appeals board upheld the revocation of liquor licenses at Sidelines and Toby and Jack’s, the two downtown Arcata bars accused of serving as drug- dealing venues.
Both Arcata bars that were mainstays on the Arcata Plaza since the 1960s are now permanently closed.
In an April 8 meeting, the state Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control’s appeals board decided to uphold a decision to revoke the licenses.
The board had previously called for a more lenient penalty, citing under- examined evidence that Salvatore Costanzo, the bars’ owner, had tried to rectify the allegedly rampant drug sales at his establishments once he learned of them.
“The Department is well within its discretion to determine that appellant’s mitigation evidence is outweighed by evidence of aggravation — namely appellant’s lax approach to management of the licensed premises that resulted in repeated drug sales and negotiations by its employees and corpo
rate officer,” the decision states.
A spokesman for the Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control said there are no remaining paths forward through the agency to appeal the decision or reinstate the bars’ liquor licenses.
Local law enforcement was vocal about the high number of 911 calls out of the bars on weekend nights. “Those bars need to close,” Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn said
in December 2019.
Asked in December 2020 about call volume changes as a result of the closure, Ahearn said the coronavirus pandemic effectively shut down the bars before the state revoked the liquor licenses.
“The call volume was impacted by COVID even prior to the ABC director making their final decision,” Ahearn told the Times- Standard. “It was almost like a longer but slower process. It wasn’t like they were operating at 100% and were shut down in one day. Due to the statewide restrictions, they were not operable at the time (ABC) made their decision.”
A spokesman for the Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control said there are no remaining paths forward through the agency to appeal the decision or reinstate the bars’ liquor licenses.