Imagine a California where you can buy a beer at your favorite bar or restaurant, take it outside, and drink it on the street with a friend. That could soon be a reality, if state and local officials clear the way.
A bill proposed by California Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) would allow public consumption of alcohol in designated pouring areas.
The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 969, would give municipalities and counties the power, starting in 2025, to designate local “entertainment zones” where people could consume “alcoholic beverages on public streets, sidewalks or thoroughfares.” , according to the invoice.
Wiener says the legislation could help revitalize central California districts, where businesses have struggled since the pandemic wiped out foot traffic.
“People want to be outdoors; they want to get together with their community,” Wiener said. “We have very strict alcohol laws in California that sometimes need to be relaxed.
“It's really about giving cities the ability to decide what works for their public spaces,” he added. “And for some cities, whether it's downtown or a plaza or a particular block, they should have the ability to create an entertainment zone that allows bars and restaurants to sell food and alcohol on the street. Let’s let people have fun with their friends and neighbors.”
Wiener said the legislation would also be a boon beyond downtown neighborhoods, helping local cities and businesses that have struggled since COVID-19 caused companies to close offices and send employees to work from home.
Current laws allow street festivals to obtain one-day permits for vendors to sell alcohol for consumption in public. Wiener believes this should be extended to local businesses.
A University of Toronto study showed that many areas of central California are seeing between 60% and 90% of the traffic they saw in 2019. For downtown Los Angeles, the figure is 83%; San Francisco has 67%; and Sacramento is at 66%.
San Francisco and San Jose have given their support to the bill.
“When safely implemented, SB 969 would make it easier for local businesses to host block parties, wine walks and events that bring us all together to help fuel the vibrant future of our downtown,” said the San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement.
Entertainment zones designated by municipalities would have specific days and hours of operation, like any business; people would not be free to drink in the street whenever they wanted. And Section 647(f) of the California Penal Code would still make it a crime to be intoxicated in public. Bars and restaurants would remain subject to state law that does not allow alcohol sales between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Wiener proposed similar legislation in 2021 and last year; Both were approved by the Senate unanimously. But they ran into trouble in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which blocked the entertainment zone provisions in 2022, then watered them down and limited them to San Francisco County in 2023.
The 2024 bill has not yet been referred to a committee.
