(June 29, 2018, 11:15 a.m.) -- A Sacramento bill that could let City Councils in seven CA cities decide to let their bars to remain open until 4 a.m. -- and includes Long Beach as a result of support by Mayor Robert Garcia [who has no policy setting powers] -- was narrowly approved (by one vote) with minor amendments yesterday (June 28) in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee [tally below.]
Local supporters of SB 905 by state Senator Scott Wiener (D, SF) include the Downtown LB Alliance, the LB Area Chamber of Commerce, joining with corporate "hospitality" and restaurant/bar interests in the seven chosen cities. However the measure encountered stiff opposition testimony in the Assembly Committee from groups combating alcohol abuse and its impacts on public safety/drunk driving (audio below, with list of supporters/opponents also below.) The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee vote tally was 11-6-4: Ayes = Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Bonta, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gray, Jones-Sawyer, Kiley, Low, Rubio; Noes = Acosta, Bigelow, Cooley, Gallagher, Lackey, Levine; No Votes Recorded = Cooper, Daly, Salas, Waldron. (SB 905 fell short by one vote until Eduardo Garcia (D, Coacella Valley) joined in voting "aye" after the initial tally.) For on-demand audio of the Committee's consideration of SB 905, click here. [Scroll down for further.] |
On May 31, 2018 and again in her June 8, 2018 newsletter, re-elected 3rd dist. Councilwoman Suzie Price -- who represents Belmont Shore's bar-heavy 2nd St. -- said she opposes the bill. "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."
However neither Councilwoman Price nor any other LB Councilmember(s) to date (including the Council's "State Legislation Committee" comprised of Austin, Mungo and Supernaw) have agendized SB 905 for City Council discussion and a vote on the City's position...in which Council opponents (whose votes are supposed to set policy) would have to publicly disagree with LB's Mayor (who has no authority to set City policy and has no vote.)
In late 2017, without holding any public or Council discussion on the issue, Mayor Garcia informed Senator Wiener that the City of Long Beach would welcome inclusion in the bill (along with the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, West Hollywood, Los Angeles [and May 2018 added Palm Springs] that would let each city's respective City Council allow a 4 a.m. closing times in their city. In a 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.
The June 28 Assembly Gov't Operations Committee hearing was the only Assembly policy committee scheduled to hear the matter [presumably with the support of Assembly Dem leadership including Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D, NLB-Lakewood)] before it reaches the Assembly Appropriations Committee (a non-policy fiscally-focused gatekeeper) that could send it to the Assembly floor. If approved by the full Assembly (with minor amendments noted in an Assembly Committee analysis here) SB 905 would return to the state Senate (which approved it in late May) for approval of relatively minor amendments before sending it to the Governor's desk. 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." At this point, LB area Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell (D, LB) hasn't had an opportunity yet to vote SB 905.
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