(Aug. 13, 2018, 8:55 a.m.) -- On August 16, a Sacramento bill that could let City Councils in nine CA cities decide to let their bars to remain open until 4 a.m. -- with Long Beach included as a result of actions without public discussion or policy-setting Council approval by Mayor Robert Garcia -- could be sent to the Assembly floor where it would be one vote from passage (with only Senate concurrence needed for amendments since that body approved the measure in late May.)
The May 2018 state Senate vote was 27-9-3, with state Senator Ricardo Lara (D, LB-Huntington Park), a named co-author of the measure, voting "yes" while state Senator Janet Nguyen (R, SE LB-west OC) voted "no." SB 905 has now reached the Assembly Appropriations Committee. a de facto gatekeeper which has held it (among other bills) in "suspense" based on its potential state budget impacts but effectively enabling party leaders to stop any bill for any reason. Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D, Lakewood/Paramount) could stop the bill in its tracks, has instead let it advance to near final passage. SB 905 by state Senator Scott Wiener (D, SF) is supported by a lengthy list (below) of "hospitality" and restaurant/bar interests statewide. Its local supporters of include the Downtown LB Alliance and LB Area Chamber of Commerce. Last year, Sen. Wiener authored a bill that would have enabled 4 a.m bar closings statewide...and the measure failed. He then reworked the bill into SB 905, which he says is designed to end CA's "one-size-fits-all" state standard of 2 a.m. and enable "local choice." [Scroll down for further.] |
On August 6, Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz held an L.A. City Hall news conference flanked by representatives of multiple groups opposing the bill. To view the event (which his office streamed on Facebook), click the links below.
L.A. Councilman Koretz has stated: "While we want our local businesses to thrive, no good can come from serving alcohol until 4 a.m. If this passes we can expect more DUIs, more drunk driving injuries and more alcohol related deaths." In response to the argument that SB 905 simply allows "local choice," Councilman Koretz said: "No district is an island and it is outrageous to call this a local discretion bill when its impacts will spill over into adjacent jurisdictions that will be stuck with the very expensive public safety bill - the cost of life and death." Alcohol Justice (a non-profit industry watchdog group) is among the bill's consistent opponents and is organizing opposition to the bill at https://alcoholjustice.org/STOP-4AM
To LBREPORT.com's knowledge, only Long Beach Councilwoman Suzie Price (who chairs the Council's Public Safety Committee), has publicly opposed SB 905. On May 31, 2018 and again in her June 8, 2018 newsletter, Price (whose district includes Belmont Shore's bar-heavy 2nd St.) explained her position: "I oppose allowing expanded hours of alcohol sales in Long Beach. Providing more time and access to alcohol presents increased concerns and opportunities for impaired driving, and creates an increased likelihood that people leaving bars are on the road in the early morning hours the same time as commuters beginning their day. I have seen the terrible and tragic affects of too many DUI cases, and would be very concerned with the potential dangers to our many Long Beach communities."
The LB City Council's (Mayor-chosen) "State Legislation Committee, chaired by Councilman Al Austin, never agendized SB 905 for discussion or recommendations to the full Council. Councilman Austin's wife is District Director in the L.A. office of Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer, who's an Assembly co-author of SB 905. [Councilman Austin faces term-limits in 2020 unless LB voters approve a Term Limits Charter Amendment that Mayor Garcia advanced and the Council voted 9-0 to put on the November ballot.] In 2017 he formed formed a political committee and has raised sums to possibly pursue the 33rd district state Senate seat currently occupied by state Senator Ricardo Lara. Lara is term limited in 2020 and now running for state Insurance Commissioner.]
At this point, LB area Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, LB) hasn't had an opportunity yet to vote SB 905. He recently wrote an op-ed (that he gave to Gazettes.com visible at this link stating that he opposes SB 905. "City officials should reconsider their support of this effort and the State Assembly should stop it," he wrote...but fogged a key fact, writing that Long Beach was included in SB 905 "at the request of local officials" when Sen. Wiener indicated in a November 2017 press release that Mayor Garcia told him that LB favors inclusion in his bill (along with the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Los Angeles [with Palm Springs added in May and Coacella and Cathedral City added in August.] . In the November 2017 release, Mayor Garcia stated: "This bill clearly would not work citywide for us, it does give the city and local law enforcement the flexibility to allow special events in the Downtown Entertainment District. This option has been supported by the Downtown Long Beach Business Alliance, which manages our business improvement district." Statewide listed supporters include: [via State Senate Committee on Governmental Organization March 2018 legislative analysis/most complete supporter list]: 213 Hospitality California Hotel & Lodging Association California Music & Culture Association California Restaurant Association California Small Business Association California Teamsters Public Affairs Council California Travel Association Central City Association City of Oakland City of West Hollywood Darrell Steinberg, Mayor of Sacramento Greater Los Angeles Hospitality Association Hotel Council of San Francisco Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Lyft Mark E. Farrell, Mayor of San Francisco Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance San Francisco Chamber of Commerce San Francisco Travel Association San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance State Coalition of Probation Organization UBER UNITE HERE, AFL-CIO Valley Industry and Commerce Association West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Listed opponents include (Assembly Governmental Organizaton Committee legislative analysis list/June 2018): Alameda County Board of Supervisors Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention Team San Ramon Valley Alcohol Justice Asian American Drug Abuse Program Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association California Alcohol Policy Alliance California Council on Alcohol Problems California Youth Council Californians for Drug Free Youth Center for Human Development Center for Open Recovery Cesar E. Chavez Commemorative Committee of the San Fernando Valley Coalition to Prevent Alcohol Related Harms LA Metro Coastal Communities Drug-Free Coalition Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse County Behavioral Health Directors Association Day One Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Network of Southern California Friday Night Live Program Health Officers Association of California Institute for Public Strategies Los Angeles Drug & Alcohol Policy Alliance Los Angeles Police Protective League Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California Mission Neighborhood Centers, Inc. Mothers Against Drunk Driving Mountain Communities Coalition Against Substance Abuse Mountain Communities Family Resource Center National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse, Inc. National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence - Orange County Pacoima Urban Village Project Safer Pueblo Y Salud, Inc. San Diegans for Safe Communities San Marcos Prevention Coalition Sonoma County Board of Supervisors South Orange County Coalition Sun Street Centers Tarzana Treatment Centers Teen Esteem The Wall-Las Memorias Project Wellness & Prevention Center West County Alcohol Marijuana & Prescription Drug Coalition West Hollywood Project Westside Impact Project Youth Leadership Institute Arguments in support and opposition (Assembly Local Gov't Committee legislative analysis text): In support. San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell writes, “SB 905 provides local communities with the opportunity to determine for themselves when, how and if they would like to extend hours of service. This bill in no way circumvents a full public approvals process for such determination. Should this legislation become law, San Francisco would need to begin an exhaustive process to collect input from bar owners, public safety officials, neighborhood leaders, and many others who might be interested in whether or not the City should offer extended service hours permits, including instituting a review by local enforcement for every permit the City would potentially issue. An extension of beverage service hours provides local economies with the opportunity to expand tourism offerings, increase tax revenue, and foster an active, vibrant nightlife.
blog comments powered by Disqus Recommend LBREPORT.com to your Facebook friends:
Follow LBReport.com with:
Contact us: mail@LBReport.com |
Hardwood Floor Specialists Call (562) 422-2800 or (714) 836-7050 |