CAPA: Los Angeles Says NO 4 a.m. Last Call

L.A. City Councilmembers Vote on Resolution to Oppose SB 58

Los Angeles Will Not Be Part of Senator Wiener's Haphazard 4 a.m. Bar Bill Experiment

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Aug 26, 2019, 19:39 ET

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) has come out in strong support of Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz's resolution (Council File: 19-002-S39) opposing SB 58 - the 4 a.m. bar bill.

Alcohol Justice logo. (PRNewsFoto/Alcohol Justice)

Councilmember Koretz introduced the resolution (Council File: 19-002-S39) opposing Senator Scott Wiener's SB 58 on March 5, 2019. The full Council vote on the measure will take place Tuesday. If passed, it will be the strongest statement yet that the City of Los Angeles does NOT support the statewide public health and safety threats the bill would create by allowing a patchwork quilt of cities to extend alcohol sales to 4 a.m.

If passed and signed into law by Governor Newsom, SB 58 would launch a dangerous ten-city, five-year experiment that would expose over 76% of California's population to increased alcohol-related harm. Expected social costs generated annually in the City of Los Angeles alone would be $88–$354.5 million; while the additional revenue would only be $36.5–$146.1 million. The five-year trial period net social cost of harm in Los Angeles would minimally be $266.5 million. In Sacramento, the fate of the bill currently rests with the Assembly Appropriations Committee which will make a determination on August 30, 2019.

What: Rally / Media Event
When: Tuesday, August 27, 2019, 9:00-10:00 a.m. (City Council Meeting to follow)
Where: Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N Spring St. Los Angeles CA, 90012 (First Street steps)
Who:

Paul Koretz, Los Angeles City Council District 5
Miriam Castro, Promotora - Promotora, Esperanza Community Housing, Boyle Heights Collective
Brenda Villanueva, Los Angeles Drug & Alcohol Policy Alliance (L.A.DAPA)
Coalition to Reduce Alcohol Related Harms in LA Metro (CoPalm)
California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA)

Why:

SB 58 would allow closing times for on-sale retailers to be extended from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. as part of a "pilot program" conducted by the ABC. The pilot program may be conducted in ten cities: San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Cathedral City, Coachella, Palm Springs and Fresno.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), California already suffers more annual alcohol-related harm than any other state: over 10,500 alcohol-related deaths, $35 billion in total costs, $14.5 billion in state costs.
Alcohol Justice and the California Alcohol Policy Alliance have taken a strong OPPOSE position on SB 58 and respectfully ask that you stop this dangerous nightlife experiment. California tax payers do not need to pay for additional public health and safety harms in order to profit the nightlife industry.

Quick Facts

Poorly conceived and inadequately funded pilot project
Strips away uniform protections of 2 a.m. last call
Costs the state at least $3-4 million per year to administer, and mitigate the harm; costs cities and towns in "Splash Zones" millions more
Disregards 40 years of peer-reviewed, public health research on the dangers of extending last call
Ignores $34 billion in annual alcohol-related harm in California
Subsidizes and rewards nightlife alcohol-sellers at tax-payer expense

Read

https://www.losangelesblade.com/2019/05/30/california-should-not-extend-bar-hours-to-4-a-m/

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-koretz-4am-bar-bill-20190426-story.html

https://dailybruin.com/2019/04/18/risk-of-alcohol-related-incidents-outweighs-potential-benefits-of-proposed-bill/

https://alcoholjustice.org/images/8-16-19_SFChron_SB58-Op-Ed_NateMiley.pdf

CAPA Member Organizations