Reform the NYS Liquor Authority

09/15/2026

The public policy of the State of New York store is that "public convenience and advantage" dictates where liquor and w**e are sold for off-premise consumption. So why does the state make constituents and visitors make a special trip for these products? B**r, eggs, bread one store. Liquor and w**e in another. What's convenient or advantageous about that? ... Unfortunately, the courts have said that the standard means whatever the 3-member board says it means. We've heard some crazy rationale coming from the appointed board - both for and against locations. One commissioner uses top-secret math. Another bases decisions on whether the commissioner likes an applicant or not. As we said, it's crazy. So subjective. So wrong.

07/09/2026

The NYS Liquor Authority's lawyers are spending countless hours responding to lawsuits for failing to fulfill public records requests. Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to just fulfill the requests in a timely manner? Boilerplate responses of "We need more time. We are just too busy" don't fly legally. So much for the stated commitment to transparency.

09/10/2024

Legislature needs to change how liquor stores get sited.

12/19/2023

We give up. All hope is lost for reforming the NYS Liquor Authority. Gov. Hochul doesn't give a s**t about how many millions NYS businesses are losing because of understaffing and poor management of the agency.

12/01/2023

The technology "upgrade" is a bad joke played on applicants, licensees and taxpayers. Someone should get fired over it

10/18/2023

The New York State Liquor Authority has done any with serial numbers. Also gone --- ability for the public to look up the status of a pending license or permit. New faces. Same old incompetent agency.

09/30/2023

New faces, same old agency. This group will never get rid of the backlog. They don’t know how. 10-12 month processing times here to stay.

10/16/2022

Something’s gotta give.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, Republican candidate for governor of New York, outlined actions he wants to take immediately upon taking office if he defeats.Gov. Kathy Hochul.

07/27/2022

Top lawyer at SLA leaving agency. Hopefully, next one will sit at meetings and not comment on applications, applicants and submissions of their attnys/reps. Why Chairman Bradley allows it is beyond us. General counsel should speak only when a legal question arises.