Senate Holds Roundtable Discussion on ABC Law Modernization

The State Senate Committee on Investigations and Government Operations, chaired by Senator Skoufis (D – Orange County) held a wide ranging discussion with stakeholders in the alcohol beverage industry this month. Senator Skoufis and his Senate colleagues have been leaders in the efforts to update the Alcohol Beverage Control Laws which are largely unchanged from the days following Prohibition.

All segments of the industry were represented – on and off premises retailers of beer, wine, and spirits; beer, liquor, and wine distributors; and large & small producers. The State Liquor Authority Chair, Lily Fan, and her staff also participated in the discussion. The topics covered included:

• Allowing bars and restaurants to buy small amounts of wine and spirits from their local liquor stores
• Curtailing exorbitant delivery charges and split case fees
• Allowing liquor store owners to own and operate more than one store
• Allowing expanded access for consumers to purchase alcohol including wine in grocery stores and alcohol-to-go sales for restaurants
• Permitting non-alcohol related products to be sold in liquor stores.

As is typical for these industry-wide discussions, there was no consensus. Some industry members are very comfortable living under the restrictive rules adopted following the repeal of Prohibition and are unwilling to even consider modernization. But this discussion did help flush out the issues. And we gained valuable insight into the SLA’s view of changes to the law – including their continued support for allowing you to make limited purchases from liquor stores.