October 19, watch the yes people battle with the other yes people as well as the no people at the Crocodile.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 06, 2010 at 02:38PM0 Comments
The Stranger and Washington Bus host the free debate.
Do you know whether you are voting for a liquor privatization initiative this November? Which one? What will that decision mean for small wineries? How about craft brewers? What worries you about privatization? What pisses you off about the current system?
These are questions we need to ask right now, as we all have a big old honking decision to make in a very short time. If you’re still confused—and who could blame you if you are?—here’s an important event to attend: On October 19 the Crocodile will be the site of a free debate between the anti-privatization people, the Yes on 1105 people, and the Yes on 1100 people.
Pop quiz:
Which initiative completely illuminates the three-tiered system?
Which initiative is backed by out-of-state distributors?
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 04, 2010 at 01:20PM0 Comments
What happens if both initiatives pass? “We don’t know for certain,” says the Attorney General’s office.
In the comments section of an article I wrote recently about liquor privatization initiatives I-1100 and I-1105, Charlie asks: “What happens if both pass???”
This is the question, Charlie. So what’s the answer? “We don’t know for certain,” says Dan Sytman, media relations manager for the State Attorney General’s Office. The trouble is that the state constitution does not include instructions about what to do when voters pass two measures that pertain to the same issue.
In 1993, the attorney general’s office published this statement regarding how to resolve two pieces of legislature “that deal with the same subject in different ways.” Essentially, the court attempts to merge the two documents into one.
Sytman says that when dealing with two measures that directly conflict with one another, as 1105 and 1100 certainly do, the court would give weight to the initiative that received more votes. Or, I should say, would probably give weight. After all, “it’s all speculating,” says Sytman.
You wanted a clearer answer than that? Sorry, Charlie.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 07, 2010 at 07:59AM4 Comments
The radio ad above, sponsored by a group called the Protect Our Communities Coalition, features a police officer arguing against liquor privatization initiatives 1100 (the one Costco likes) and 1105 (the one backed by big distributors), both of which will appear on the ballot this November.
Spokesperson Greg Hopkins, a Tacoma police officer, makes the argument against privatization thusly:
He says our state’s liquor stores enjoy “a 94 percent success rate” in not selling hard alcohol to minors. This is accurate, and impressive: Washington sells less liquor to minors than any state in our great union. Hopkins then says that in 50 percent of sting operations at in-state convenience stores (where beer and wine are sold), minors were able to purchase alcohol. So if these stores sold liquor, the argument goes, minors would be able to buy hard alcohol in 50 percent of cases as well.
The problem with his argument is that it assumes enforcement would remain as it is—the only change would be that hard alcohol was on the shelves at 7-11 alongside beer and (crappy) wine. This would almost certainly not be the case. Part of the backbone of the privatization argument is that the liquor control board should be focusing on alcohol safety and education instead of liquor sales, as it does in many states. Therefore, I think a more useful stat is one recently published in the Seattle Weekly. In states where liquor is sold in private stores, minors are denied booze in 75 percent of cases.
Hopkins goes on to say that if 1100 or 1105 pass, there would be thousands more stores selling liquor in Washington State. True. Initiative 1100 proposes to do away with Washington State’s three-tier system—which segregates the manufacture, distribution, and sales of alcohol—altogether, privatizing all liquor stores and allowing alcohol manufacturers and retailers to do their own distributing. Initiative 1105 proposes to privatize retailers only, keeping state distribution laws in place. Either way, the more than 5,000 in-state stores that now sell beer and wine would also be eligible to sell liquor.
Then Hopkins says: “Youth access to hard alcohol could increase by 400 percent.” Again, however, he ignores the idea that WSLCB would be newly freed up to focus on the underage issue. From the homepage of Modernize Washington, the group behind initiative 1100: “I-1100 directs our state liquor board to devote itself to enforcement, education and the fight against teenage drinking. Instead of sales, state government will be focused on safety.” In other words, it’s the WSLCB’s job to concentrate on making sure stores that sell to underagers lose their licenses. If it does that job, the privatization argument goes, youth access to hard alcohol should increase zero percent.
The ad also claims that privatization would “cut over 200 million from a central funding for local police, firefighters, and alcohol enforcement.” Not exactly. In 2009, the WSLCB made about $332.7 million, according to the Seattle PI, $199 million of which went into a general fund. Some went to cities and counties, some went to health insurance for the poor. It did not all go to local police, firefighters, and alcohol enforcement.
But cities and counties would certainly lose out on funds generated from state liquor sales. Both proposals have plans for how to recoup that money. (Two studies have been conducted to see how the money issue would shake out, they came to very different conclusions.) Backers of 1100 argue that Washingtonians buy tons of liquor out of state due to the LCB’s massive mark-up on booze. Offered lower prices and a lot more access, they’d buy their booze here instead and generate tons of tax revenue. The legislature would still be free to tax liquor, 1100 people points out, and the state would make money of of fees and other sources. Under 1105, new liquor retailers would pay the state a percentage of sales for the first five years in operation and the LCB would recommend a liquor tax to the legislature.
As we approach the November ballot, expect to see more ads on both side of the argument.
Fulfill your civic duties over drinks tomorrow night.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 31, 2010 at 09:10AM0 Comments
The HG Lodge
Photo: HG Lodge
Tomorrow night—Wednesday, September 1—the Stranger is hosting an event called Seattle’s Nightlife Throwdown at the Hunter Gatherer Lodge. (You may also refer to it as the HG Lodge, if you are so inclined.)
In attendance will be mayor McGinn, along with the president of the Seattle Nightlife and Music Initiative, the Liquor Control Board’s policy director, and Dave Meinert —who owns the Five Point Cafe and is a Seattle nightlife spokesperson as well as a perennial Stranger favorite.
This is an important opportunity if you want to be part of the conversation surrounding myriad Seattle nightlife issues, which include but are not limited to: liquor privatization (remember that two privatization initiatives, 1110 and 1105, will be on the ballot in November), staggered closing times for bars, and public safety.
City Attorney Pete Holmes is floating the idea of staggering last calls.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 05, 2010 at 03:45PM0 Comments
Dave Meinert says staggering bar closing times is a smart idea.
Did everyone hear nightlife impresario and Five Points Cafe owner Dave Meinert on KUOW’s The Conversation this week? He was talking about Pete Holmes’s not-at-all-planned-out plan to stagger the closing times of Seattle bars, and it was very interesting indeed.
One caller brought up the very astute point that because all the bars close at 2am, Seattle streets are basically deserted between the hours of 2:30am and dawn, which makes us all feel very sketched out when we are walking around in the wees. The caller compared the situation to NYC where the streets are peopled at all hours and so everyone feels a little safer. And mom, if you are reading this and wondering what good and productive things I’m doing between 2:30am and 6am, I’d like to point out that dog owners do not always make their own schedules.
Also, if you are curious about last calls in other cities, states, and countries, here is a list of last-call times around the planet.
Editors Allecia Vermillion and Christopher Werner and a crew of contributing barflies report on the latest in openings, happy hours, bartender shuffles, and local liquors.
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