Cocktails
Image by RitaE from Pixabay
March 16, 2022 - SACRAMENTO – Legislation advanced on Tuesday from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa to boost his previous relief for struggling restaurants and bars by expanding provisions of his 2021 law allowing the sale and delivery of to-go cocktails.
“The pandemic has been hard on small businesses, especially in the restaurant and bar sector,” said Sen. Dodd. “Allowing flexibility in the sale of to-go cocktails has been a lifeline. To ensure a strong recovery and to answer consumer demand, we must expand that successful provision in ways that will make sense and will be beneficial to all. I appreciate the committee for seeing the value in this proposal.”
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Sen. Dodd’s Senate Bill 389, which allowed the sale of to-go alcoholic beverages as part of take-out restaurant food orders. It came as restaurants nationwide recovered from hundreds of billions of dollars in losses sustained because of lockdowns and social distancing requirements to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The new bill, SB 846, expands the previous legislation in important ways, removing the meal requirement to increase options for consumers and business owners. It also extends the carry-out cocktail provision to bars, which also have been hard-hit by the pandemic. In addition, it allows for the delivery of to-go cocktails from both types of businesses. Finally, the bill increases oversight of alcohol delivery by Alcohol Beverage Control to prevent underage drinking.
Co-authors are Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, D-Orinda; Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco; Assemblymember Laura Friedman, D-Glendale and Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella.
SB 846 passed the Governmental Organization committee with overwhelming support.
“Sen. Dodd’s continued focus on helping neighborhood restaurants build back from the devastating impact of pandemic closures is critical and greatly appreciated,” said Matt Sutton, senior vice president of the California Restaurant Association. “SB 846 takes what has been a successful trial project and restores it -- on a time-limited basis -- by reestablishing the ability for cocktails to be part of the offsite restaurant experience, something current law already allows for beer and wine. SB 846 has been thoughtfully written and helps meet those changed restaurant guest expectations by providing additional consumer choice, while enhancing public safety.”
Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Solano, Yolo, Sonoma, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.
Source: Senator Bill Dodd
