Anonymous
By the Office of Assemblymember Steve Bennett
Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) announced that legislation to assist breweries with duplicative licensing requirements was signed by the Governor [on Friday].
“We are honored to have the support of Assemblymember Bennett’s team to update the current Business and Professions Code (Sec 25607) as it pertains to alcoholic beverages. Updating these regulatory laws (AB 1734) allows small Californian producers of beer and wine like Draughtsmen Aleworks the ability to sell the beverages we make at our satellite locations. We are excited to be able to offer all of our craft beers, wines and ciders at our taprooms in Goleta, Santa Barbara and soon Solvang,” said Tami Snow, Partner at Draughtsman Aleworks, “We appreciate the time and attention from Assemblymember Bennett’s staff reviewing and revising these alcohol regulatory laws in order to make them more equitable and easier to understand and to navigate. We and many small businesses like us in California are fortunate to have this type of support from our representative and we are excited that it allows us to grow all our businesses.”
“If there’s one thing the pandemic has shown us is that giving small businesses more flexibility helps them succeed, particularly in these challenging times,” said Assemblymember Bennett. “Draughtsman Aleworks, a local brewery and community partner in Santa Barbara and Goleta, has worked hard to serve the community and expand their business. Many of these types of restrictions are leftover from prohibition and need to be brought into the 21st Century. If we can play a role in responsibly reducing regulatory requirements, we should. I am happy to partner with them in this effort.”
“This bill supports important Tied-House laws by creating a common sense fix for businesses to better serve their customers. We appreciate Assemblymember Bennett’s efforts to protect these important alcohol regulatory laws while making them easier to understand and navigate,” said Lori Ajax, Executive Director of the California Craft Brewers Association.
AB 1734, a common sense measure, will allow multiple license holders, under identical ownership, to sell their beer and wine product together at their locations. The bill passed the Senate earlier this month and has enjoyed bipartisan support in both houses.
This sort of reform is long overdue! It’s amazing how antiquated liquor laws at the state and federal level have essentially protected the big established players in the industry and stifled innovation and competition for generations. As the tangled web of regulations finally crumbles, its exciting to see so many new and innovative products come to market.