Assembly committee advances bill to extend 'cocktails-to-go' for struggling restaurants

Assemblymember Rogers urged quick action on AB 2663, telling the committee that the pandemic-era program allowing restaurants to sell packaged alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption has been widely used and remains important for struggling restaurants. "This bill would simply extend that sunset to our restaurants that are still struggling," Rogers said.

Matt Sutton, senior vice president for government affairs at the California Restaurant Association, told the committee the policy began as emergency regulation and has since been refined with packaging and public-safety protocols. "Our guests now expect to be able to take alcohol away with meals, and that is a condition of the bill," Sutton said, and he asked members for their support.

Assemblymember Dixon, representing a beach community, asked whether the change would increase public‑safety issues on beaches and whether special packaging or education was being used to prevent open-container violations. Sutton said existing open-container laws already apply in public spaces and that the bill is aimed at transport to places where alcohol may legally be consumed. The chair noted that the safeguards included in the 2020 statute remain in place.

The author offered committee amendments adding an urgency clause to prevent the statutory sunset from lapsing on Dec. 31; the amendment was described as intended to ensure stability for on‑sale licensees over the New Year's holiday. The committee moved AB 2663 as amended to the committee on labor and employment; the chair said the bill had the votes to advance and left the roll open for absent members.

The measure will now proceed to the next committee for consideration.