“The simple act of checking one’s I-D can save lives.  Because not all clerks do this and potentially sell alcohol to customers under 21, California Alcoholic Beverage Control agents and their local law enforcement partners conduct these decoy operations on a routine basis.  It helps to keep all of us safe out on the road and in our communities.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

OXNARD – On June 17, 2024, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agents and Oxnard Police officers cited two store clerks for selling alcohol to someone under 21.  The citations were the result of a minor decoy operation in which someone under 21, and under the direct supervision of law enforcement officers, attempted to purchase alcohol from 10 retail licensees in the city of Oxnard.   

For a first violation, clerks who sold alcohol to a minor could face a minimum fine of $250 and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service. In addition, ABC will take administrative action against the business’s alcoholic beverage license. That action may include a fine, suspension of the license, or permanent revocation of the license.

Compliance checks are conducted statewide to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors. Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunk driving fatalities than the general adult population.

Law enforcement agencies have been conducting minor decoy operations throughout the state since the 1980s. When the program first began, the violation rate of retail establishments selling to minors was as high as 40 to 50 percent. When conducted routinely, the rate has dropped in some cities to as low as 10 percent.