Assemblymember Matt Haney has taken up the cause of the extension of last call at California bars to 4 am, structuring some new legislation around so-called "Hospitality Zones."
It has been a long, long road for San Francisco legislators who have tried to get others around the state to allow for the possibility of a later last call than 2 am, even if this was just in a few cities that want it, and not a blanket rule statewide. State Senator Mark Leno first proposed some legislation on extending last call to 4 am back in 2013, and after that attempt failed, he tried again, ultimately left the Senate, Senator Scott Wiener took up the cause, and after multiple tries, we still don't have 4 am last call.
Wiener's last failed attempt, with a bill co-authored by Matt Haney, came in 2022, and that bill, SB 930, actually passed the state Senate but was shot down in the Assembly. It would have allowed an opt-in later last call for just seven cities: San Francisco, Oakland, West Hollywood, Fresno, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and Coachella.
Interestingly, just a few months after that bill died, Governor Gavin Newsom signed off on a small, very specific pilot program aimed at the Intuit Dome/Clippers Arena in Inglewood. Newsom signed off on allowing 4 am last call just for the 100-person VIP club at the arena, sunsetting in January 2030 — so there is one spot in the state where it is legal to serve drinks after 2 am.
But now we have a new, broader proposal that's framed as a way to help downtown areas recover in the wake of the pandemic, as many bars have seen their happy-hour revenue decline due to more people working from home.
This morning, as ABC 7 reports, Haney gave a press conference in downtown LA to announce AB 342. The legislation allows California cities to create Hospitality Zones, if they choose. Businesses in those zones could then, if they choose, extend last call to 4 am just on weekends and holidays.
AB 342 also allows for the creation of Special Events Hospitality Zones, which could exist for just one-month spans — and this seems aimed at upcoming major events like the World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
"We need people in our downtowns," Haney said at the press conference. "We need people to come here not just during the day, but at night."
Haney's full statement on the bill says, "Downtowns in California are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels almost half a decade later. As Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Downtown Recovery, I've heard from cities all over the state that are begging for the flexibility to attract people during evening, night and weekend hours.
He added, "Tourists, downtown residents and convention planners are all looking for cities with both vibrant daytime and nighttime economies. Unfortunately many California downtowns become ghost towns after 5 pm."
Haney notes that over a dozen other states, including those that compete for tourists with California like Florida, New York, and Illinois, already allow their cities to set their own last-call hours.
"A thriving nightlife has extensive positive effects on many other sectors, including retail, the arts, restaurants, housing, and large conventions, and will bring more people into downtowns that desperately need them during both the day and night," Haney says. "The one-size-fits-all, top-down 'last call' law in California has limited the ability of cities to attract visitors and tourists and hamstrung businesses who rely on limited nighttime hours to survive."
What has happened in the past with these bills is that powerful lobbying groups, including police unions and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), come out to quash their support. And legislators who come from areas without public transportation or plentiful Ubers, where extending drinking hours makes less sense, tend to gang up on the legislators from the cities that want later last-call hours.
We'll see how this goes!
Previously: Newsom Signs Off on Bill Allowing One Tiny, Rich-Person Club to Serve Booze Until 4AM
Photo: Luna Scott
