SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - A renewed effort in the Tenderloin to quell the fights, public urination and other potential fallout from drinking cheap liquor is under way with city officials once again turning to stores in the area to step up and be “good neighbors.”

City officials met Friday to refocus an effort on creating an “alcohol impact area.”

Last year, Mayor Gavin Newsom and other officials worked to bring an alcohol sales restriction program to the Tenderloin. But obstacles — such as state and federal laws that pre-empted The City from creating restrictions on the type, manner and place of liquor sales — stalled the project, Newsom said Friday.

Some Tenderloin merchants expressed concerns at the time that competitors could reap the benefits of denied customers buying from nonvolunteering stores.

Dariush Kahan, the newly appointed director of The City’s Homelessness Policy, said a key consideration is encouraging stores to move to more fruit and grocery items. Officials are also investigating land-use issues such as permitting processes, the way licenses can be transferred to a family member and the inability to change products being sold, Kahan said.

Capt. Gary Jimenez of the Tenderloin Police Station, who attended Friday’s meeting, had hope for the effort.

“I think what [officials] are hoping is to create neighbors who will abdicate their making it affordable for people to get this substance,” he said.

But Ali Abdul, the manager of Pitco on Ellis Street, said liquor was a problem but the “main thing” was drugs on the street. Abdul said officials may be able to get merchants to abide by a prohibition on sales, but it may be a tough sell because it threatens a store’s bottom line.

dsmith@examiner.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

1:08 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 23, 2008 re: "Tenderloin booze limits are uncorked"

Examiner Reader said:
City officials met Friday to refocus an effort on creating an �alcohol impact area.� This is very interesting so which residents or neighborhood organizations were invited to give their input...NONE.

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1:02 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 23, 2008 re: "Police arrest three Sunday in simultaneous shootings"

Examiner Reader said:
Again entertainment venues are becoming a problem for nearby residents. People from outside the neighborhood believe it is ok to commit their selfish violent acts which shatter the security and safety efforts residents adovocate for.

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12:56 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 23, 2008 re: "Tenderloin residents up in arms over neighborhood post office"

Examiner Reader said:
The postal service needs to be held accountable for providing adequate postal service in all neighborhoods especial those who are hign density. Accessiblity, safety and reliabilty should be the benchmark ever neighborhood should be entitled to when it come to postal service.

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12:48 PM MST on Thu., Feb. 21, 2008 re: "Tenderloin residents up in arms over neighborhood post office"

Examiner Reader said:
What happened to all the comments about adding more postal services to 101 Hyde. This seems to be a positive suggestion for everyone concerned.

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3:11 PM MST on Mon., Feb. 18, 2008 re: "Police arrest three Sunday in simultaneous shootings"

Examiner Reader said:
The Tenderloin District is simply a human meat market per se. Good or bad; right or wrong--it's there! It's a seedy neighborhood period! As macabre as it may sound, it is a tourist attraction. Jim Jones founded his church in that area. I myself was curious enough to drive there as a tourist from Los Angeles, back in 1995. Believe me, nothing has changed since then. Check it out and see for yourself.

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11:24 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 re: "Tenderloin booze limits are uncorked"

EXAMINATOR said:
It's called The Tenderloin for reasons that precede the political career of Supervisor Chris Daly. Lots of illegal, immoral, pleasurable, painfull and profitable and sometimes violent acts occur there thousands of times each day and have for decades. Perhaps a new monniker for this gritty, yet, by San Francisco standards, affordable neighborhood is what's needed. San Francisco's Tenderloin is a little like Alice's Restaurant cause you can get ANYTHING you WANT right there. "Little Saigon" you suggest. PULLLEASE! Ya ever BEEN to the ACTUAL SAIGON?

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7:37 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 re: "Tenderloin booze limits are uncorked"

Examiner Reader said:
6th and Market is brought to you by the offices of Stupervisor Daly.... the visionary who believes that planting trees,painting out graffiti,cleaning the streets, enforcing loitering law and on and on...all lead to gentrification. Oh did I mention that the Blue Angels are responsible for the high murder rate in the city?? Brother, we get what we deserve.

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4:20 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 re: "Tenderloin booze limits are uncorked"

Bob said:
Have a couple of occassions, I would brave the 'bad' streets and head over the my favorite Viet rest. on 6th/market and man I tell you what they need to do is BULLDOZE the entire area. People keep talking about the genification of that area, I haven't seen it! It been a bad area for years but i think it is just getting worse. BULLDOZE it and start over.

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3:59 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 re: "Safe Haven program encourages businesses to keep locals secure"

Examiner Reader said:
What I've seen has been if people want to drink or use drugs, they will locate them. This holds true in Pacifica, Pacific Heights, or the Tenderloin. I have doubts that by having more fruits and vegetables available, its going to considerably change the nature of a store or its customer base.

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1:04 PM MST on Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 re: "Tenderloin booze limits are uncorked"

Examiner Reader said:
So what if they're drinking on the street? At least they're supporting the neighborhood economy. The SFPD has to get rid of the out-of-town drug dealers who have plagued the Tenderloin, crack dealers from the East Bay, Mexico and Hondouras!

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8:30 AM MST on Sat., Feb. 2, 2008 re: "Tenderloin booze limits are uncorked"

Tyronne Fatsengalla said:
The store owners are not the criminals, the criminals are going to commit crime whether there is liqour for sale or not. The SFPD should enforce the laws and arrest people who commit crimes, and believe it not the District Attorneys Office should prosecute to the fullest extend of the law. Storeowners are the target because that is a helluva a lot simpler than going after felons.

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3:26 PM MST on Tue., Jan. 8, 2008 re: "Safe Haven program encourages businesses to keep locals secure"

Examiner Reader said:
This is all well and good and kudos Mr. Tracy for doing SOMETHING in the TL. I just wish we could encourage neighbors into preventing crime and drug abuse rather than having to deal with it; ultimately, leading to the normailizing of these activities. Sigh, such is life in the TL, we constantly have to deal with the City's S..T.

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