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As expected for many months, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three bills on Friday, October 8, finally officially enshrining cocktails in state law. The sale of take-out cocktails and the service of alcohol in parklets are now here to stay in California, at least for the next five years. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Senator Scott Wiener joined the governor for a small press conference at Oakland’s Kingston 11, the Jamaican restaurant known for jerk chicken and rum punch. There, Newsom signed three key cocktail and parklet bills: State Bill 389, State Bill 314, and Assembly Bill 61.
“Eat your heart, Paris,” the governor said, referring to anyone who has recently enjoyed a glass of wine in a parklet. “Statewide it’s like, why didn’t we do this 20, 30, 40 years ago?” And the biggest fear and anxiety we all had… was please don’t take it all off. So that is what these bills represent.
The first of three bills, State Bill 389, focused on take-out cocktails. Take-out cocktails began as a temporary emergency order in March 2020, allowing restaurants and bars to sell take-out wine, beer and cocktails, provided the drinks are served with food. When California fully reopened in June 2021, many restaurants and bars found themselves in massive debt because of the pandemic and wondered if they could continue to rely on those additional beverage sales. At that time, Newsom extended the temporary emergency order until the end of the year to allow more time for two key bills to pass through the state legislature.
“Three years ago this wouldn’t have been possible,” Newsom said in an exclusive interview with Eater SF. “There would have been debate after debate, it would have been difficult to get something out of the committee. “But as a result of the pandemic and the proof of concept,” These [bills] were a snap. Because people have now seen first-hand the benefits of expanding the footprint of these companies, not just these [restaurants and bars], but to communities.
The bill, which Senator Bill Dodd (Napa) introduced in February 2021, has gone through several iterations, and the final version only extends cocktails until December 31, 2026 – so for the next five years, but not for always. And it pursues the controversial requirement that all drinks always be sold with a “bona fide meal,” removing bars that don’t serve food. It also limits customers to two drinks per meal – so no more big-batch cocktails – and limits cocktails to pickup only, eliminating delivery altogether. So while it was originally hailed as a pandemic innovation, bar owners expressed bitter disappointment at the restrictions.
The governor also signed State Bill 314, which Senator Scott Wiener introduced in February 2021, proposing to ease restrictions on outdoor dining, which would not only make parklets permanent, but would also make it easier the service of alcohol in the parklets. This bill is on a different schedule, going until July 1, 2024, so only for the next three years. The governor also signed Bill AB 61, making it easier to obtain temporary liquor permits for pop-ups.
Most industry experts expected Governor Newsom to sign the deal. Prior to entering government, Newsom was the founder of the PlumpJack Winery group, which includes Balboa Cafe, White Rabbit and Wildhawk bars in San Francisco, and reiterated he was “pro-restaurants, pro-small businesses.” When asked if he was disappointed with the amendments, the governor said take-out cocktails would continue to benefit restaurants and bars, in terms of an additional source of income. But he acknowledged the frustration of many bar owners. “Look, we were able to do what we could,” Newsom says, implying that, according to his original emergency order, he wanted to include all bars. However, “there were legitimate concerns about serving alcohol off-premises … the restrictions are fair.”
The governor has also recently signed a few other restaurant-related bills, including State Bill 286, which originally proposed a permanent cap on delivery costs, but ultimately did not call for more transparency on expenses. Newsom says he’s still open to a permanent cap and hopes the legislature will repeat it. But he didn’t criticize big tech, also calling delivery apps “game changers” and adding that he had “reverence and respect” for tech leaders in California, especially his longtime friend Elon Musk. , which announced it was moving its headquarters to Texas this week. . The governor also signed AB 1276, known as the Ketchup Packet Bill, so diners must now request one-squeeze condiments, in an effort to reduce waste. “Straws, plastics, take-out containers are often larger than they appear in the rearview mirror,” explains the governor. “You might be surprised. ”
However, it does not appear that the governor plans to celebrate the signing of these bills at the French laundry. He says he’s been drinking a bit more these days but hasn’t dined out at all, not even ordering cocktails to go. “I didn’t go out,” he said. “I have four young children. I look forward to taco night every week. It’s the most exciting night of the week.
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