Eater SF by Caleb Pershan
June 1st, 2018

State Senator and former Castro District Supervisor Scott Wiener isn’t finished calling on California legislators to allow cities to extend last call. His latest effort, Senate Bill 905, would begin a pilot program allowing for a 4 a.m. last call in seven California cities — Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs, Sacramento, San Francisco and West Hollywood — and it just passed the State Senate this week.

Wiener’s previous attempt at a bill to allow cities to extend last call beyond the current, statewide 2 a.m. cutoff was killed in an appropriations committee last year. The senator reintroduced the current, revised bill in November.

“Nightlife is central to the culture and economy of many of our cities, and they should be empowered to choose to extend alcohol sales hours if it makes sense for that city,” Wiener said at a press conference introducing the revised bill.

Next up for SB 905: The State Assembly, where it will have to pass over arguments from opponent like the group Alcohol Justice, which fiercely condemned the previous version of Wiener’s policy. Other groups, like the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, see the possibility of a later last call as a major boon to the state’s restaurant and bar industry, which generates $50 billion annually.

If the bill passes through state legislature and is signed into law, it would take effect in 2021, with an assessment of its impact due in 2025 and the state legislature required to reevaluate the system 2026.

Check out the original article, here: https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/1/17418156/new-last-call-4-a-m-bill-scott-wiener-bar-alcohol