Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission

Alex M. Duarte, Ron Roome, and Cassandra SkinnerLopata have been appointed to the OLCC's board of commissioners. The new members were nominated by Gov. Ted Kulongoski and confirmed by the Senate. Alex M. Duarte - 3rd Congressional District Duarte has a vast background in law. Currently, he is Corporate Counsel for Qwest Communications International in Portland, and serves as Qwest’s general counsel for its Oregon operations. Prior to joining Qwest in 1999, Duarte was in private law practice in San Francisco for 14 years, including six years as a partner in a national law firm, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation. Duarte’s wide range of experience in public service extends from serving on the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots, including as its Chair from 2007 to 2008, to sitting on the boards of directors of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (which he chaired from 2005 to 2007) and the Malheur Home Telephone Company, in addition to numerous leadership po...

Bend area liquor licensees are invited to participate in an open forum to share their ideas, questions, concerns, and insights with the OLCC. Monday, June 8 @ 2:00 p.m. ODOT offices, 63055 N. Highway 97, Bend, Oregon RSVP: Bend OLCC office @ 541-388-6292 x221 “The OLCC takes pride in its commitment to communicate with all licensees and takeholders. Our overarching goal is to have licensed businesses that are safe for employees, customers, and neighbors,” said Jason Evers, Bend Regional Manager. “We’re looking forward to our town hall meeting and to hearing what’s on our licensees’ minds.” One-on-one meetings can also be arranged with Evers for those unable to attend.

A recent compliance check in the Portland-Metro area resulted in a 77% success rate for no alcohol sales to minors. Eastern Multnomah County (Portland, Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview): 33 of 38 businesses passed. The compliance checks were performed on May 6 by OLCC and Gresham Police Department. SW Portland : 14 out of 20 businesses passed. The compliance checks were performed on April 29 by OLCC and Portland Police Bureau. Beaverton: 21 out of 26 businesses passed. OLCC performed the check on April 24. See who passed (and who didn't) in OLCC's May 13 news release .

OLCC inspectors and local enforcement officers recently checked businesses in Central Oregon for alcohol sales to minors. The area averaged an 82% compliance rate, which is well above the 2008 statewide average of 78%. “The most important thing is to prevent sales to minors,” said Jason Evers, Bend Regional Manager. “These numbers show that our licensees are doing a good job of checking IDs and keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors.” Redmond had an 88% compliance rate with 28 out of 32 businesses passing on April 30. The compliance checks were funded by the Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws Grant Program. The checks were performed by the OLCC, Redmond Police Department and Deschutes County Commission on Children and Families. Bend, Redmond, Sisters had a 78% compliance rate with 31 out of 40 businesses passing on April 24. The checks of Redmond businesses were paid for by the Enforcement of underage Drinking Laws Grant Program. The OLCC, Redmond Police Department and Deschut...

Looking for a particular distilled spirits product but don’t know which liquor store carries it or where a store is located? Introducing www.oregonliquorsearch.com - a new website designed by the OLCC to enhance customer service. With the click of a mouse, oregonliquorsearch.com allows customers to search for a specific product and find which stores carry it. You can search by brand name, a distilled spirits category such as vodka or cognac, or by liquor store. Your search returns the entire list of products, size, price, and locations that carry the product. All store locations will be listed, but not all stores currently provide daily liquor inventory. Searches for liquor stores give the address, phone number, and directions through Google Maps. Liquor agents are independent contractors who have the flexibility to set their own hours. Customers can check to see their local store’s hours by searching by location. “To me, it’s all about improving customer service,” said Jim MacAlista...

If you live in Oregon, you may have noticed that your local liquor store isn’t staying open quite as late, or perhaps it is now closed on Sundays. Each Oregon liquor store is essentially its own small business, operated by an independent contractor – also known as a liquor agent. Liquor agents have the authority to determine their store’s hours and days of operation, with some basic guidelines set by the OLCC to ensure adequate service to the public. Although hours of operation may vary from store to store, liquor stores must be open at least eight hours a day, Monday through Saturday. This must include the hours between noon and 6:00 p.m. And they can’t open before 7:00 a.m. or close any later than 10:00 p.m. Liquor stores can be open on Sundays and holidays. But, it is up to the liquor agent if they want to be open on those days. So why has your neighborhood liquor store changed its hours? The state’s economic woes are partially at fault. To fix an $855M state budget shortfall, the ...

Beginning April 1, 2009, DMV will allow people to keep their old driver licenses, permits, and ID cards when they apply for new cards. Previously, DMV retained the old card when issuing an interim paper stock ID. Customers' old cards will instead be invalidated with a punched hole in the name and address area, and then returned to customers. This will give people another form of photo identification while they wait for their new ID card to arrive in the mail. Oregon converted to issuing driver licenses and ID cards from a secure central production facility in the summer of 2007. DMV now mails driver licenses and ID cards directly to customers, and most people receive their secure cards through the US mail within a few days. However, some have reported problems proving their age or identity at other agencies and businesses, including OLCC-licensed businesses, with only the interim card. The inconsistent acceptance of the interim card has created problems for some individuals who don...