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Committee advances extension of 'cocktails to go' as industry urges continuation
Summary
AB 26 63, presented by Assemblymember Rogers, would extend the temporary allowance for restaurants to sell alcoholic beverages 'to go.' Restaurant and industry witnesses told the committee the measure helped small businesses and consumer demand; the committee moved the bill to Appropriations as amended.
Assemblymember Rogers described AB 26 63 as a sunset extension of pandemic-era rules that allowed restaurants to sell alcohol 'to go' under controlled conditions. "This law ... was a way to try to bolster a struggling industry," Rogers said, noting the rules include public-safety safeguards and have been renewed multiple times.
Matt Sutton, senior vice president for government affairs at the California Restaurant Association, told the committee the policy has been an effective pilot and helps restaurants meet changed consumer preferences. Restaurant owner Juan Barajas said his small independent establishment benefited from the policy, especially as margins and costs changed during and after the pandemic. "Having that option to go with the alcoholic beverages, if restaurants prefer, we will highly support for that to happen," Barajas said.
Supporters also included the Distilled Spirits Council and Family Winemakers of California. The committee moved AB 26 63 (as amended) to the Appropriations Committee; initial roll-call counts in the hearing recorded a favorable tally, and later full roll-call tallies were reported as unanimous where noted in the transcript.
