Update: Legends Cited for 'overserving' an intoxicated person

Updates with police reports, corrects a resident association meeting reference.

Legends Sports Bar and Grill was issued an administrative citation Sat. pm for over serving alcohol to an intoxicated person, an alleged violation of its ABC license but not a crime, city and state agencies confirmed Wednesday. Long Beach police vice officers issued the citation and also arrested two people for public intoxication, said Sgt. Rico Fernandez.

Contrary to rumors, no minors were involved in the incident, and the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control said Wednesday that it will, as is protocol, investigate the administrative citation when it receives the Long Beach police reports on the case.

"Undercover officers were there Saturday night and found that someone was served who was already intoxicaed," said  ABC District Administrator Vincent Cravens of the Long Beach-Lakewood office. Cravens said the restaurant-bar has a "47" license that allows children inside what's a cavernous two-story building.

"The police will give us their report, and we will investigate and decide what if any disciplinary action is necessary," Cravenss explained Wednesday. The Legends record has no indication of more than one or two if any prior disciplinary actions filed. Any discipline would be based on the nature and severity of the alleged license violation and a business's track record.

Legends owner Gene Rotondo, also president of the Belmont Shore Business Assn., addressed the March regular meeting of the Belmont Shore Residents Assn. and mentioned efforts he and other bar owners are making to be good neighbors, while expressing a preference for the association and business owners to work out problems together. At last month's BSRA meeting, Rotondo attended but it was the ABC's Cravens who explained the alcohol sales licensing process and answered audience questions. Many residents in the audience did not understand how the Shore could have had so many more ABC licenses approved than the agency's guidelines allow. Others feel the businesses have been picked on by a vocal minority for what is bad behavior by individuals.

In March, Rotondo explained a fairly new effort in which owners of the bars have a crew cleaning up debris and trash and human waste seven houses down from Second Street. He said Legends has a training program for staff on how to check ID for minors and also to recognize an obviously inebriated person.

The subject of balancing the needs of two co-existing communities--residents and the commercial district's alcohol-selling businesses--has been a longstanding one as the number of alcohol licenses increases. 

On Wednesday, the ABC's Cravens said he did not have police reports on the Saturday night citation but had had numerous calls on the matter. He said that under similar circumstances, a bar might be given a suspension of sales or operation for a period of time, or they may be allowed to pay a fine, depending on  seriousness of the violation. The business, he added Thursday, might also receive a letter for their file, or no disciplinary action. An appeal is also possible and those, Cravens said, may take up to three years.

A call to Rotondo's cell phone was not returned Tuesday night or Wednesday, but he has said that he has employee trainings about serving to minors or to already intoxicated patrons. Third District Council Member Gary DeLong said Tuesday night that he hadn't heard about the Legends citation. 

Long Beach police reports on the case were delivered to the ABC on Thursday, but Cravens nor his staff had had a chance to review the case.