California Senate Bill 58 marks the third attempt to extend the cutoff time for serving alcohol in the state. This will be a 5 year pilot program starting from 2022 to 2027 in select cities: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Cathedral City, West Hollywood, Coachella, Palm Springs, Fresno, San Francisco, and Oakland. For the most part they cover large cities and/or tourist hot spots. But in the cases of Cathedral City and Coachella, they are included for their role hosting the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
The bill originally proposed extending the time to 4AM, but members of the assembly amended it one less hour due to controversy. However, under the new bill, that would extend to 3 AM (amended from the original goal of 4 AM).
Several businesses have come out to support the proposition, including bar owner Rebecca Murphy. “During the summer with tourists, or after games at night, or especially around colleges, closing at 2 in the morning can be painful. When the Giants won the [World] Series a few years back, we were packed, but at 2 A.M. we had to shuffle everyone out,” She tells the California Globe. “I guarantee you we lost thousands alone from that one night. Additionally, for bartenders and servers, that extra hour of pay and tips can be huge. An extra hour each week can go to groceries purchases and utility bills. In a month it can mean making a loan payment, or a car payment. It helps us bring in more, it helps our employees earn more, and it helps the city by having an open place for people to go.”
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