Commissioner asks City Council to examine licensing and receipts after Uptown incident

Summary

A commissioner asked staff to request that City Council consider regulations or a report examining business licensing oversight, focusing on average receipts rather than just food receipts, after an incident at the Uptown business 'Flashbacks.' The request was placed on the public record for council consideration.

At the close of the July 7, 2025 meeting, a commissioner placed a request on the public record asking that City Council be asked to evaluate licensing oversight for certain establishments following an incident at Flashbacks in Uptown Whittier.

“I would like to see if we can ask city council to push forward some sort of regulation looking into the average receipts as opposed to the food receipts,” the commissioner said, adding that the commission grants licenses and should receive a report on what is being approved and how those approvals are performing. The commissioner cited neighborhood concerns and requested staff provide a report back to council.

Staff did not provide immediate direction at the meeting beyond placing the request on the record; the comment was made as part of commissioner remarks at the end of the agenda and did not trigger a formal action or referral recorded during the session. The commissioner noted the comment was entered on the public record and closed the meeting.