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Assembly hearing frames nightlife as a core tool for downtown recovery
Summary
California Assembly Select Committee on Downtown Recovery convened experts, city officials and venue owners to discuss licensing, entertainment zones, transportation and governance models aimed at revitalizing downtowns through the nightlife and broader nighttime economy.
SACRAMENTO — The California State Assembly’s Select Committee on Downtown Recovery heard testimony on March 4 from city officials, venue owners and international experts who said intentional policy on nightlife could help revive shrinking downtowns.
Assemblymember Matt Haney, chairing the hearing, said California’s downtowns still matter but that the old 9-to-5 downtown model has changed. “We need to stop being afraid of the dark,” Haney said, arguing the state should pursue targeted legislation and budget investments to support evening and nighttime economies.
Experts described a menu of policy tools under consideration. Ben Van Houten, director of nightlife initiatives at San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, pointed to local programs such as…
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