A bill extending alcohol service to 4 a.m. passed in the California State Senate on Wednesday and would grant municipalities the decision-making power to push back the current 2 a.m. last call.
Senate Bill 384, known by its acronym LOCAL or the “Let Our Communities Adjust Late Night” Act, has moved to the State Assembly for its first reading. If it also passes on the second floor, it will be sent to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has at most 30 days to sign it into law.
“By taking this nuanced approach to empower — but not require — local communities to extend alcohol sales hours, we can support nightlife in California while also recognizing that there is not a one-sized fits all solution for each and every city in our great state,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who introduced the LOCAL Act, in a press release.
According to City Councilmember Kriss Worthington, the bill would have a small but positive impact on various parts of the state. In the past, Worthington said he led the local legislature to give more late-night dining options to city residents, including extending business hours of establishments such as Smoke’s Poutinerie and Asian Ghetto restaurants.
While some local residents were originally fearful or angry about the idea of extended food service hours, the city now has multiple businesses open late, Worthington said. After his local bill was implemented, he said the complaints stopped because opponents didn’t see harm done to the local community. To him, selling alcohol after 2 a.m. would be a similar process.
“It would just offer students more places to go,” Worthington said.
Dominic Wong, owner of the Daily Pint, a bar in North Berkeley, said the LOCAL Act could be profitable for urban businesses, but it most likely would not impact him tremendously. The demand for late-night drinking around campus is not consistent, Wong said, though he sees how some students would appreciate extended hours.
“The decision is still up to the owner. … It’s about looking at the operating expenses, compared to the revenue brought in for the additional hours of business and … operating costs,” Wong said. “It doesn’t hurt to pass it so we have the option.”
Extended serving hours, however, could impact public safety and encourage alcoholism, according to Patrick R. Krill, an attorney and alcohol counselor, in an op-ed published in the Sacramento Bee. Krill highlighted in his editorial that raising the tax of alcohol, rather than adjusting serving hours, could generate a similar amount of revenue for California without jeopardizing the health and safety of its citizens.
For students around campus, however, it could be fun, campus alumna Joy Liu said.
“There are some nights when you want to stay out later that 2 a.m.,” Liu remarked. “But that’s not every night.”