“It’s important that clerks stay vigilant and ask for ID when someone is attempting to purchase alcohol.  Kudos to the eight clerks who denied the sale because the decoy was under the age of 21.  Thank you to ABC agents and Emeryville PD for working to keep us safe out on the road and in our communities.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

EMERYVILLE – On December 4, 2025, California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents and Emeryville Police Department officers cited two clerks for selling alcohol to minors. The citations were the result of a Minor Decoy operation in which minors, under the direct supervision of law enforcement officers, attempted to purchase alcohol from 10 retail licensees in Emeryville.
 
Clerks who sell to a minor face a minimum fine of $250 and 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation. In addition, ABC may take administrative action against the alcoholic beverage license of the business where alcohol was sold to a minor. That may include a fine, suspension, or the permanent revocation of the license.
  
“Licensees should always check identification before selling alcohol,” said ABC Director Paul Tupy. “Our roadways and communities see improved safety when we prevent access to people not old enough to legally purchase alcohol.”
 
Statistics have shown that young people under the age of 21 have a much higher risk of being involved in a crash than older drivers.   Minor Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement 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 below 10 percent in some cities. In 1994, the California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the use of minor decoys is a valid law-enforcement tool to ensure that licensees comply with the law.