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SB-395 • 2026

Alcoholic beverages: additional licenses: hospitality zone.

Alcoholic beverages: additional licenses: hospitality zone.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Wiener
Last action
2025-10-06
Official status
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 412, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The exact number of restaurants applying for these new licenses is not specified or predictable based on the provided official source material.

Alcoholic Beverages: Extra Licenses for Hospitality Zones in San Francisco

This law allows up to 20 new licenses for restaurants serving alcohol in designated hospitality zones in San Francisco, with specific rules set by the city and state.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows up to 20 new on-sale general licenses for bona fide public eating places located within a designated hospitality zone in San Francisco.
  • Requires the City of San Francisco to create or modify a hospitality zone through an ordinance that includes specific information and findings.
  • Limits how many extra licenses can be given and sets rules on when these changes take effect, starting July 1 following the adoption of an ordinance.
  • Gives the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control specific steps to follow for issuing these new licenses.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Restaurants in San Francisco that want to serve alcohol.
  • The City of San Francisco's local government.
  • People who work at or visit restaurants with these extra licenses.

Terms To Know

Hospitality Zone
A specific area in San Francisco where the city can allow more alcohol-serving licenses for restaurants.
On-Sale General License
A type of license that allows a business to sell alcoholic drinks on its premises.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The extra licenses are only available until July 1, 2033.
  • It is not clear how many restaurants will apply for these new licenses or if they will all be granted.

Bill History

  1. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 412, Statutes of 2025.

  2. 2025-10-06 California Legislative Information

    Approved by the Governor.

  3. 2025-09-09 California Legislative Information

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

  4. 2025-09-02 California Legislative Information

    Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2408.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. 2025-08-28 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 7277.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. 2025-08-21 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  8. 2025-08-20 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 20).

  9. 2025-07-10 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 22. Noes 0.) (July 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  10. 2025-07-10 California Legislative Information

    Coauthors revised.

  11. 2025-06-30 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on G.O.

  12. 2025-06-18 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on G.O.

  13. 2025-06-05 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on G.O.

  14. 2025-05-28 California Legislative Information

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  15. 2025-05-27 California Legislative Information

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1238.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  16. 2025-04-22 California Legislative Information

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  17. 2025-04-21 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.

  18. 2025-04-09 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 21.

  19. 2025-04-08 California Legislative Information

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0. Page 703.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  20. 2025-03-28 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on G.O.

  21. 2025-03-27 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 8.

  22. 2025-02-26 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on G.O.

  23. 2025-02-18 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 17.

  24. 2025-02-14 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 395, Wiener.
Alcoholic beverages: additional licenses: hospitality zone.
Existing law, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages and the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state. Existing law limits the amount of on-sale general licenses that may be issued by the department based on the population of the county in which the licensed premises are located.
This bill would provide an exception to the limitation described above by authorizing the issuance of up to 20 additional new original on-sale general licenses, as specified, for bona fide public eating places located within a designated hospitality zone in the City and County of San Francisco, as defined. In order to authorize the issuance of additional licenses as described above, the bill
would require an ordinance adopted by the local governing body of the City and County of San Francisco to designate or modify a hospitality zone to include specified information and findings. The bill would authorize the local governing body, in an ordinance designating or modifying a hospitality zone, to further limit, among other things, the maximum number of additional licenses to be issued within its hospitality zone. The bill would require the local governing body to submit the ordinance to the department upon the adoption of an ordinance to modify or repeal a hospitality zone. The bill would require any ordinance to establish, modify, or repeal a hospitality zone to be effective commencing the following July 1. The bill would require the department to follow specified procedures concerning the issuance of these licenses, and would authorize the department to designate these licenses as on-sale general for special use. The bill would prohibit licenses issued under its provisions from being, among other
things, transferred from one county to another. If one of those licenses is canceled or revoked, the bill would authorize the department to issue an additional license. The bill would prohibit the department from issuing any license under these provisions after July 1, 2033.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City and County of San Francisco.

Current Bill Text

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