Food freedom bills floated in Sacramento

The lockdowns and duration of the pandemic have obviously required adaptations and leniency on the part of governments to make it easier for restaurants to do business.

Restaurants have needed the flexibility to arrange for expanded outdoor dining.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-san Francisco, introduced Senate Bill 314, the Bar and Restaurant Recovery Act, that will make permanent “the temporary pandemic regulation allowing significantly expanded outdoor restaurant/ bar seating with alcohol service.”

It also seeks to expedite and streamline the state’s alcohol licensing process and allow arrangements between “two different restaurants or bars to operate at the same location with different alcohol licenses,” a practice currently prohibited by state law but which could be helpful for businesses seeking to limit their expenses.

The bill would also permit local governments to even create “open container entertainment zones.” That’s obviously a very forward-looking addition, but maximizing choices and opportunities for local government is rarely a bad thing.

“These businesses are part of the fabric of our communities, and they employ so many of our neighbors,” says Wiener. “SB314 creates much more flexibility for our hospitality businesses and makes permanent the expanded outdoor dining that so many Californians have grown to love.”

That’s certainly an admirable goal.

Likewise, Sen. Bill Dodd, DNapa, has introduced legislation that would make permanent currently temporary California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control rules allowing restaurants to offer cocktails to-go.

The bill, backed by the California Restaurant Association, is a rare bill out of Sacramento ceding back just a bit more liberty to Californians and California businesses.

“If allowing restaurants to sell carry out cocktails alongside a meal helps keep their doors open, we must do it,” said Dodd in a statement. “Ultimately, it’s about preserving jobs and getting our economy back on track.”

Indeed, lifting the heavy hand of government on matters big and small often makes all the difference in preserving jobs and getting the economy back on track.

We’d like to see Sacramento take that lesson to heart on more and bigger issues, but on their merits, the two bills grant more freedom to businesses, expand consumer choice and could help the recovery of bars and restaurants.