California Lawmaker Wants Last Call Extended to 4AM
- OurStudio
- Apr 9, 2013
- 1 min read
Most U.S. states have laws governing "last call," what time must close. Alaska has the most liberal laws, allowing bars to be open from 8am to 5am (except on election days, which is cruel). In California, as in about a dozen other states, bars must close by 2am. Many states allow local governments to restrict operating hours further. Now one lawmaker wants to extend last call in California.
State Sen. Mark Leno's proposal to let the liquor flow until 4 a.m. as a way to draw more tourists — and with them more revenue and jobs — is already spawning a sharp debate from Sacramento to watering holes in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Leno said the measure would make the state more competitive with other hotspots like New York, Las Vegas and Miami that serve alcohol later into the wee hours of the morning or 24 hours a day. Night-spot owners say a later last call will be good for business, but law enforcement officials argue that it increases the chances that cities will see more public drunkenness, violence, drunken driving and possibly fatalities.
You have to fight for your right to party, apparently.
Follow these stories and more at Reason 24/7 and don't forget you can e-mail stories to us at 24_7@reason.com and tweet us at @reason247.
Comments