The Hermosa Beach Planning Commission on Oct. 21 continued a city‑initiated review of the conditional‑use permit for Robert’s Liquor (74 Pier Plaza) after staff, the police department and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control presented a record of undercover investigations and continuing alcohol‑related complaints.

Assistant Planner Johnny Case summarized the administrative history. He said the off‑sale CUP was originally adopted in 1990 and confirmed on appeal by City Council Resolution 90‑5357. Case told commissioners the Police Department and the California ABC documented three incidents of alcohol sales to minors between February 2024 and August 2025, including an ABC undercover operation on Aug. 8, 2025. Case said the police chief requested a CUP review because the licensee had not addressed recurring violations and certain CUP conditions had not been met.

Police Chief Landon Phillips said the department has conducted multiple undercover and proactive operations across Pier Plaza and that numerous citations are issued during single enforcement nights; officers sometimes observed patrons leaving off‑sale outlets and consuming alcohol in public. Phillips described alcohol‑related nuisance activity—open containers, public intoxication, urination, fights—and said one store operating past midnight can intensify late‑night demand after bars close.

ABC investigator Connolly described an operation in which a youthful‑appearing decoy used a fraudulent ID; he said video review showed clerks sometimes spent only a few seconds visually scanning IDs before completing a sale and that quick glances were insufficient to reliably verify age. He outlined ABC administrative remedies for sales to minors, including fines and possible license suspensions.

Staff recommended modifying the CUP with conditions that would (1) require closing by midnight, (2) prohibit single‑serve container sales, and (3) require electronic ID verification and enhanced employee training, among other updated conditions consistent with current practice. Staff said the modifications are intended to reduce late‑night off‑sale purchases that are then consumed in public.

Attorney Chip Bobko and Jan Nguyen, speaking for the licensee, said the store has operated at the location for decades, cooperated with police, purchased electronic ID scanners and will implement training. They argued there is insufficient evidence to impose CUP changes or to treat the business as uniquely responsible for late‑night public drinking in Pier Plaza. Public commenters including Samuel Prosser, a security attendant at an adjacent business, and an online commenter said late‑night problems are broader than any single store and expressed support for Robert’s Liquor.

After extended questioning, the commission voted 5‑0 to continue the CUP review to a future meeting (date certain to be scheduled) and directed staff to meet with the owner, assemble the public records the owner requested, and return with a supplemental report listing incidents, enforcement actions, and any mitigation measures agreed with the licensee. Commissioners emphasized the need for clearer documentation tying specific nuisance incidents to the establishment before imposing conditions that would limit hours or product lines.