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San Francisco committee hears hours of public comment on proposed alcohol fee; measure sent to full board without recommendation
Summary
A supervisor-sponsored ordinance to impose a fee on alcohol wholesalers to fund treatment and prevention drew hours of public comment Tuesday from small-business owners who warned of job losses and public-health advocates who said dedicated funds are needed; the Budget and Finance Committee voted to send the item to the full Board for Sept. 7 without recommendation.
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Finance Committee held a second hearing on an ordinance that would charge alcohol wholesalers a per‑gallon fee to help pay for alcohol‑related health and administration costs, heard more than two hours of public testimony and voted to forward the measure to the full Board on Sept. 7 without a recommendation.
Supervisor John Avalos, chair of the committee, said the proposal includes lower rates than previously proposed and is split by beverage type: “35¢ a gallon” for beer, “a dollar” for wine and “$3.20 a gallon” for spirits, figures he said would translate into only a few cents per typical serving. Avalos said the changes respond to an economist’s updated report and that the committee is working on a schedule to consider first reading Sept. 7 and a possible second reading Sept. 14 to address the city’s timeline before the November ballot measure known as Proposition 26.
The committee heard a presentation from Ted Egan of the Controller’s Office, whose revised calculations estimate roughly $16 million in first‑year fee…
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