OAKLAND — All alcoholic beverages have been removed from a North Oakland Safeway store after its liquor license was suspended for 60 days because of sales to minors, state officials said.
The suspension went into effect Tuesday at the store at 6310 College Ave. and a sign saying so has been posted on its front door.
Safeway spokeswoman Wendy Gutshall confirmed the store’s compliance in an e-mail Tuesday.
“[T]he College Avenue Safeway in Oakland has suspended sales of alcoholic beverages until October 4, 2019. Safeway takes these violations very seriously,” Gutshall said. “The rest of the store is open and pleased to serve our customers. We welcome customers who wish to purchase alcohol at our nearby Broadway store.”
In a news release, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) said the suspension was ordered because the store sold alcohol to minors three times within the past three years, the most recent being in March of this year.
The release did not say how ABC was alerted to the sales.
The action means alcohol sales are immediately prohibited and cannot resume until the suspension has concluded.
The ABC release included pictures taken at the store showing empty shelves where alcoholic beverages had been.
Besides the suspension, the store will be on probation for three years and if another violation occurs during the probationary period, ABC has authority to take additional action, although they did not say what that might be.
License holders are encouraged to sign up for ABC’s Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs (LEAD) training free of charge, with free training available in a classroom setting. Members of the public may learn more about enforcement and prevention programs at an ABC safety page.
The store, in the Claremont neighborhood, is about a mile south of the University of California campus.
Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this report.