Planning Commission approves updated operating rules for 3rd Base Sports Bar

The Upland Planning Commission on July 22 approved a modification to Conditional Use Permit 15‑05 for the 3rd Base Sports Bar, adopting new operational conditions intended to strengthen management, security and compliance. The motion, moved by Commissioner Marroquin and seconded by Commissioner Statton, passed 6–0.

Staff told commissioners the applicant submitted an application within the 30‑day deadline set after prior alcohol‑related and municipal‑code violations. Planning Manager Laura Lee Ferris described staff’s recommended conditions: a manager on duty every shift, stricter ID verification and responsible‑service training, a single monitored public entrance, digital surveillance with footage available to police for lawful investigations, mandatory light premade food whenever alcohol is served, limits on live entertainment (karaoke only, concluding by 10 p.m.), and a required one‑year public hearing to evaluate compliance. Staff and the police recommended quarterly update reports and a six‑month police compliance check during the one‑year probationary period.

Applicant Linda Awad told the commission she has invested in compliance measures, paying fines and installing an ID scanner and upgraded cameras, and asked the commission for a fair opportunity to keep the business operating: “I have learned from my mistakes. I accept the responsibility, and I’ve made real changes to make sure that they don’t happen,” she said. Supporters in the audience described the bar as a small, community venue that creates jobs.

The police representative clarified the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control penalty had been a choice between a 15‑day suspension or a fine and the applicant elected to pay the fine. The commission added two conditions read into the record before voting: scheduled quarterly update reports to planning staff on specified dates during the coming year, and language that the new CUP conditions would supersede and replace prior CUP 15‑05 conditions. The permit was approved with those additions. The appeal period for the decision runs from July 23 to August 3, 2026.