----- SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Legislation to allow liquor sales at nudist colonies, with local

-----
   SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Legislation to allow liquor sales at nudist
colonies, with local approval, was approved Tuesday by a giggling
Assembly committee.

   The vote was 10-2 for AB251 by Assemblyman Jerry Eaves, D-Rialto,
sending it to the Assembly floor.

   Eaves is carrying the bill for the Tree House Fun Ranch, a nudist
resort in San Bernardino.

   He said the "family-oriented resort," in operation since 1972, had
over 10 years received 76 temporary licenses to sell alcoholic beverages
for events and "had absolutely no reported problems."

   But in 1984, he said, the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage
Control started applying to nudist resorts a regulation that prohibits
nude persons from being in a place where liquor is sold.

   Eaves said the regulation is aimed at bars and restaurants that use
nude women to attract patrons and not at nudist resorts.

   His bill states that regulation would not apply to nudist resorts as
long as they were in existence before Jan. 1, 1977, and as long as the
county supervisors have adopted a conforming ordinance and the sheriff
says there would be no police problems.

   As Eaves tried seriously to present his bill, committee members made
comments and laughed.

   "I promised I wouldn't laugh, but I broke my promise," guffawed the
chairman, Assemblyman Gary Condit, D-Ceres.

   Assemblyman Dick Floyd, D-Hawthorne, joked that the committee should
hold a long hearing at the resort.

   Eaves said he had several free passes for Tree House in his office
for committee members.

   The only opponent was Art Croney of the Committee on Moral Concerns.

   In all seriousness, Croney said "it is not unreasonable that people
be required to wear something while they purchase alcohol. If there were
law enforcement problems, it would be difficult for undercover officers
to perform investigations. They would have no badge, no weapon and no
place to hide a microphone."
   
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