The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control ran a decoy operation in which local high school students entered establishments and attempted to buy alcoholic beverages. The students were able to purchase alcohol from almost 30 percent of the 36 businesses they visited.

Jeanette Ader, owner of the Blue Max--one of the 10 businesses that had an employee cited for selling alcohol to minors--said that her bartender on duty didn't properly check the student's ID card. Since the incident, she said, she has begun working closely with each bartender to help them check cards, and she has put signs up that explicitly state that anyone under 21 will not be sold alcohol.

"This is definitely something we believe in," Ader said. "We try not to let alcohol get into [minors'] hands."

The operation was not a surprise to Sunnyvale businesses. Farley said that all the establishments were contacted ahead of time to let them know that decoys would be coming in. Any clerk who sold alcohol to a minor was cited for violating section 25658 of the Business and Professions code pertaining to alcohol sales to minors.

According to a statement from Public Safety Officer Scott Mueting, in addition to notification, the department offered to help businesses educate their employees.

Public Safety Capt. Craig Farley said that 30 percent is high for this type of operation. In Sunnyvale, they typically see 20 percent of the businesses they visit selling alcohol to minors. As a result, he said there may be more periodic operations like this during the year to try to cut that number back down.

Farley also said the department is hoping to expand these types of operations to include tobacco sales to minors.

The 10 businesses whose employees were cited were the Blue Max, The Oasis, 7-Elevens on Wildwood Avenue, Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road and Evelyn Avenue, L & K Liquors, Beefy's Cabin, Safeway on Hollenbeck Avenue, the West Fremont AM/PM and Fiesta Liquors.