Last call bill stalls as safety concerns arise

Last call in San Francisco bars will not be changing anytime soon.

A bill that would allow communities to decide whether bars can serve alcohol past the current 2 a.m. cutoff was “gutted” in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Friday, according to the office of state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who introduced the bill in February.

The provisions of the bill were replaced with a task force to study the implications of allowing bars to stay open later. The revised language was not available Friday afternoon.

This is at least the third time a call to extend nightlife hours has been quashed in California since Prohibition. In a statement, Wiener said his office will not give up on this issue.

“It’s embarrassing that California shuts down its nightlife so early,” he said. “Nightlife matters to our economy and culture, and California's one-size-fits-all approach to closing time needs to be reformed.”

The Let Our Communities Adjust Late-night, or Local Act, is nearly identical to two bills proposed by Wiener’s predecessor, Mark Leno. Leno’s most recent attempt was in 2013, but that bill failed to get enough support in com-

mittee and was withdrawn.

However, Wiener’s bill had more momentum, moving much further through the legislative process than Leno’s bills had. Wiener attributed the support to several things: new legislators, a larger population of young people in cities like San Francisco who would take advantage of the later hours and increased transportation options such as Uber and Lyft.

Supporters of the bill said it would stimulate the state’s economy as cities that adopt later hours become more attractive to tourists — while opponents said it was putting alcohol revenue ahead of public safety.

“It is a really good day for health and safety advocacy in California,” said Michael Scippa, director of public affairs for Alcohol Justice, a San Rafael nonprofit advocacy, research and policy organization. “Often the (nightlife) industry gets its way, and public health and safety is an afterthought. Today, it took center stage.”

Tim Sowards, a Bay Area resident who has been bartending in San Francisco for 15 years had a similar take: “Can you imagine a bunch of drunk people out in front of your house at 4:30 in the morning?” he said. “It’s already bad enough at 2:30.”

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, which supported this bill, was disappointed in the committee’s decision.

“We should be supporting and empowering the industry to best serve our residents and more than 25 million visitors who come to San Francisco every year,” said Juliana Bunim, a Chamber spokeswoman. “This is a missed economic opportunity that leaves us stuck with an outdated approach.” Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani