Acting in their capacity as Liquor and Entertainment Board, Carson City supervisors and Sheriff Ken Furlong denied Reynoldo Ortiz’s bid to manage his Bella Fiore Wines downtown.
Carson City Liquor and Entertainment Board members were told their decision means Bella Fiore at 224 S. Carson St., at the northeast corner of Curry and Third streets, will be forced to close.
The board, with Mayor Robert Crowell dissenting, voted 5-1 to deny Ortiz a license because of his driving under the influence of alcohol charge in California less than five years ago. When board members were told they had forced Bella Fiore to close, Supervisor John McKenna countered that the applicant’s actions had produced the result.
Ortiz, who purchased the business recently, and his attorney told the board the applicant’s California record had been expunged. But Deputy District Attorney Randal Munn said the expunging action was to allow employment but not necessarily government licenses. He said the decision was left to the board’s discretion.
The sheriff weighed in, saying the established community standard, by ordinance, was that a DUI conviction within the past five years made the applicant unsuitable to hold a liquor-management license.