SACRAMENTO, CA (CelebrityAccess) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law the Entertainment Venue Recovery Act, providing relief for California concert venues impacted by long forced closures during the coronavirus pandemic.
The law, also known as SB 793, makes changes to California’s liquor licensing rules to help entertainment venues and other hospitality businesses by:
Creating a new entertainment venue liquor license separate from a regular restaurant license. The license, which will be available to music entertainment venues, will lower the administrative overhead and infrastructure costs that venues face when trying to obtain a liquor license.
The bill also authorizes cities and counties to create an open container entertainment zone, making it easier for local governments to permit festivals, street fairs, and live-music concerts where fans can purchase and consumer alcohol from local businesses. Previously, municipalities could create open container zones, but brick and mortar retailers were not allowed to participate in alcohol sales in those zones.
“The pandemic has devastated so many of our small businesses, and entertainment venues have experienced an unparalleled crisis,” said Senator Wiener. “When we’re not in a COVID-19 surge, Californians – myself included – are enjoying getting back to concerts, parties, and other events. We need to ensure our live music venues, bars, and restaurants can thrive as they welcome us back.”
“This is a great measure that will provide relief for California’s venues as they continue to grapple with the pandemic,” said Casey Lowdermilk, President of the California chapter of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA).
