(a) No manufacturer, winegrower, manufacturer’s agent, California winegrower’s agent, rectifier, distiller, bottler, importer, or wholesaler, or any officer, director, or agent of any such person, shall, except as authorized by this division:

(1) Hold the ownership, directly or indirectly, of any interest in an off-sale license.

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Terms Used In California Business and Professions Code 25502

  • Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • license: means license, certificate, registration, or other means to engage in a business or profession regulated by this code or referred to in Section 1000 or 3600. See California Business and Professions Code 23.7
  • Licensee: means any person authorized by a license, certificate, registration, or other means to engage in a business or profession regulated by this code or referred to in Sections 1000 and 3600. See California Business and Professions Code 23.8
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs, unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Business and Professions Code 15
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.

(2) Furnish, give, or lend any money or other thing of value, directly or indirectly, to, or guarantee the repayment of any loan or the fulfillment of any financial obligation of, any person engaged in operating, owning, or maintaining any off-sale licensed premises.

(3) Own or control any interest, directly or indirectly, by stock ownership, interlocking directors, or trusteeship, in the business, furniture, fixtures, refrigeration equipment, signs, except signs for interior use mentioned in subdivision (g) of Section 25503, or lease in premises licensed with an off-sale license.

(4) Own or control any interest, directly or indirectly, by stock ownership, interlocking directors, trusteeship, or mortgage of the realty upon which an off-sale licensed premises is maintained.

(b) Any wholesaler in counties not to exceed 15,000 population who holds both a beer and wine wholesaler’s license and an off-sale general license and who held such licenses prior to September 19, 1947, may continue to hold such licenses but may not transfer the beer and wine wholesaler’s license to another individual, individuals, partnership, corporation or other legal entity. Where the off-sale general license is transferred to an individual, individuals, partnership, corporation or other legal entity, the transfer shall be a person-to-person transfer only.

(c) Nothing in this section prohibits any holder of a distilled spirits manufacturer’s, manufacturer’s agent’s, California winegrower’s agent, rectifier’s, or wholesaler’s license, or any officer, employee, or representative of any such licensee, from acting as a trustee for any off-sale general licensee in any bankruptcy or other proceedings for the benefit of the creditors of the off-sale general licensee.

(d) Nothing in this section shall alter, change, or otherwise affect, retroactively or prospectively, any of the rights or privileges granted to a winegrower or brandy manufacturer by Section 23362, or by any other provision of this division.

(e) This section does not apply to an employee of a licensee referred to in subdivision (a) who is a nonadministrative and nonsupervisorial employee.

(Amended by Stats. 1987, Ch. 1121, Sec. 3.)