At least 20 states across the nation provide local jurisdictions the flexibility to decide alcohol service hours or permit alcohol sales after 2 a.m., a misdemeanor in California. This includes major cities across the country, such as Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Louisville, New York City and Washington, D.C., which have alcohol service hours past 2 a.m. This puts cities in California attractive to tourists at a particular disadvantage.
We think it’s time to grant the same kind of discretion to local governments in California, and Senate Bill 384, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would do just that.