Scott Wiener's Bills Expanding Outdoor Drinking Rules Pass Unanimously In Committee
Two bills introduced in February in the California State House by Senator Scott Wiener have passed with unanimous, bipartisan support in the Senate Governmental Organization Committee — and hopefully this means that soon there will be post-pandemic extensions for restaurants' and bars' outdoor drinking spaces, and an easier path for entertainment venues to serve alcohol.
Senate Bill 314, with was co-authored by a bipartisan group of state senators, makes what Wiener calls "common sense changes" to existing ABC regulations around extending existing liquor licenses outdoors. The bill, if passed by the full Legislature, would allow current licensees who have emergency-relief expanded-premises permits for liquor service to have a one-year grace period in which to keep those outdoor setups — and in which to apply for permanent extensions for those licenses to the outdoors. This means that once local emergency declarations are lifted, post-pandemic, restaurants and bars that are currently offering outdoor seating in alleyways, parklets, and on sidewalks can continue for at least a year after that, if not longer.