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California bill proposes 4 a.m. last call

February 16, 2017

A bill introduced in the California Legislature would make it possible for some bars and restaurants to extend last call for alcohol from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. [SF Chronicle]

State Sen. Scott Wiener’s (D-San Francisco) bill would give local jurisdictions control over whether bars and restaurants can serve alcohol until 4 a.m. Wiener said the legislation is long overdue.

“Right now in California, we have a one-size-fits-all statewide mandate, regardless if you are a small-town suburb of San Francisco or in downtown L.A.,” Wiener said. “Nightlife matters a lot, culturally and economically, and it’s time to allow local communities more flexibility.”

Wiener’s predecessor, San Francisco Democrat Mark Leno, introduced a similar bill in 2013. Leno’s bill failed to garner enough votes.

Wiener said there is now increased demand from bars and restaurants that want to rake in extra revenue from younger patrons who want to stay out later. Proponents of the bill say it will stimulate the California economy and make cities like San Francisco more attractive tourist destinations.

All bars in California have had to stop serving alcohol by 2 a.m. since 1935. Several United States cities, including New York City, Chicago and Miami, allow late-night alcohol service.

Michael Scippa, director of public affairs for Alcohol Justice, a San Rafael nonprofit, said the bill is a foolish plan that prioritizes alcohol revenue over public safety.

“We just don’t need additional hours of business for this substance,” Scippa said. “It’s not like selling coffee and doughnuts. This is a substance which is a class one carcinogenic — it takes thousands in California every year — and is responsible for horrendous costs in various areas.”

Scippa said Alcohol Justice takes a lot of credit for killing the 2013 bill, and the organization will come out with “guns blazing” to defeat the new legislation.


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The loonies are at it again.remember they want to put a big tax on soft drinks an fruit juices but not alcohol drinks.Give them two hours to soak up the sugar laced alcohol beverages they don’t put on any fat. I hear on my scanner where they get duos at seven and eight in the morning.


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We’ve got a dam in danger of breaching with 200,00 people displaced and they are proposing an extended last call? God help us.

This should be considered the canary in the coal mine.


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Brilliant! What’s the point of even having a last call at this point? I wish that our society cared about much as about their kids, schools, and communities as they do booze.


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What IS the point of having a last call? Very nice that the majority who works a regular schedule gets to dictate everything to their benefit, if you’re in the majority. What if a couple of hard working 7-11 employees want to grab a 6-pack when they get off at 4am and drink together? But really the details don’t matter, the bottom line is what business of yours is it when someone wants to buy alcohol.


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Wow, can’t see any problems that will arise from this bill taking affect. Idiots. Might be a better state if we doubled the legislature’s pay on the promise they just stay home and do nothing.


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Cool, another 2 hours to get more or stay shitfaced. How about sending the patrons out the door with disposable IV’s with their favorite booze drip so they can make it a honest all night’er.


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What a great idea! Giving people 2 more hours to get even more plastered before driving home.


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Also gives people 2 more hours to hang out with their friends and sober up before driving home.


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Without question…the lunatics are running the asylum.

New preliminary 2016 data shared Wednesday from the National Safety Council estimates that as many as 40,000 people died in motor vehicles crashes last year, a 6% rise from 2015. If those numbers bear out, it would be a 14% increase in deaths since 2014, the biggest two-year jump in more than five decades.

LAST CALL!


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What happened to the “early to bed, early to rise” good example. Some of our legislator must have gone limp in their choices because their clock needs to go in the other direction. When the streets are clear at night, the cost for law enforcement goes down as well as many other public costs. Why would anyone encourage more party night unless they don’t need to be productive the next day, yes when there is the sun light.


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Why do you assume that everyone works from 8 to 5. Oh sorry, the law should be tailored to accommodate the needs and behavior of the “normal” people only I guess


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“Proponents of the bill say it will stimulate the California economy and make cities like San Francisco more attractive tourist destinations.”


Stimulating the California economy would be eliminating all the entitlements and eliminating the “general fund”.


if you want to party all night go to Montreal.


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I don’t drink but have lived in another state where that was the case and less people had DUI’s because (and yes, some people will abuse ANY SYSTEM) but, they can sit there and sober up and not be rushed out the door at 2:00 when they showed up at 9:00 or 10:00 and don’t have a chance to get the alcohol out of their system.


Besides, lt the local people decide what “Community standards” are. I’ve been to Washington D.C. and they may have different standards. I know if the elected officials were used as standards we’d have Caligua 2.0 AND because he was Italian there’d be a Pizzagate at every corner.


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So as not to be rushed out drunk at 2am, here’s an idea stop drinking at midnight. Didn’t occur to you that since bars may be able to stay open until 4am that those same people will just drink until then, and then drive home. I for one like it better at 2am, then the drunks are driving then and there are less innocent people on the road. At 4am you starting getting into more people on the road, delivery, trash, and even early working people start hitting the road, better to not have the drunks on the road then.


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It occurred to me that some people might do that, but those people are going to drink until the cows come home anyway. Those people are also likely to keep drinking after last call at a friends’ house. And then there are people who got off work at 8, had to get home to grab some food and change, and didn’t make it out until 10:30 or later. At 2am they’re exhausted and have no interest in drinking anymore, but it’s nice that they can hang out for a couple more hours and sober up.


“here’s an idea stop drinking at midnight.” Here’s an idea, stop thinking you know what everyone’s circumstances are and suggeting if they don’t want any problems, they’ll conform to your way of thinking.


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