A bill heading to the governor’s desk would allow the newly opened Intuit Dome in Inglewood to serve alcohol to members of an exclusive club until 4 a.m., two hours later than every other venue in the state.
Introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, in February, AB 3206 carves out an exemption from the state’s last call law, allowing alcohol sales to continue from 2 to 4 a.m. as long as the drinking is “in a fully enclosed arena with a seating capacity of at least 18,000 seats located in the City of Inglewood.”
The description matches only the Dome, as the Kia Forum has 17,500 seats and SoFi Stadium, with 70,000-plus seats, isn’t a “fully enclosed arena.”
The alcohol sales would be confined to an area “no larger than 2,500 square feet, with a maximum capacity of 100 persons” that is exclusively for “members of a private club who are assessed dues in order to belong to the club,” according to the bill. Drinks can be sold after 2 a.m. only on days in which a sporting event, a concert, another major event, or private event not open to the public, has occurred.
Public safety safeguards
“AB 3206 is limited in scope, includes safeguards to protect public health and safety, including approval by the Inglewood City Council, and will provide another entertainment option to complement the over $2 billion of private investment in Inglewood’s recently opened Intuit Dome,” McKinnor said in a statement.
Asked about the bill’s benefits, a spokesperson for McKinnor stated it would “complement the economic benefits that the Intuit Dome will bring to taxpayers and residents of Inglewood,” and did not offer any elaboration.
The bill cleared the Assembly in May and, more narrowly, the Senate on Aug. 20. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom will decide its fate.
McKinnor’s office previously described the bill as a way to “stimulate our local economy by extending alcohol sales hours in our arenas during major events, providing a boost to arena operators, vendors and surrounding businesses,” according to a Senate Floor Analysis. It would “solidify Inglewood’s position as a premier entertainment destination” by maintaining “competitiveness and ensuring responsible alcohol consumption practices,” her office reportedly stated at the time.
If Newsom signs the bill, the Inglewood City Council will have the ultimate authority over whether to approve the exemption. Given that the city provided an argument in support of the bill, that approval seems likely.
City officials, in the argument, stated that a provision automatically sunsetting the law in 2030 “demonstrates a serious commitment to ongoing evaluation and adaption of regulatory framework to suit the evolving needs of our communities.” Inglewood is required to produce annual reports detailing any impacts caused by the extended hours.
“This provision empowers local legislators and government bodies to tailor alcohol sales regulations to the unique circumstances and preferences of their jurisdictions, thereby promoting flexibility and responsiveness at the grassroots level,” city officials wrote in their supporting argument.
Advocacy groups opposed
Three advocacy groups opposed the bill, with the California Council on Alcohol Problems saying it would be “the precursor to similar district bills up and down the state, eroding and eventually gutting the century’s long-established 2 a.m. ‘last call’ statewide.”
“This would increase dangers to drivers (DUI crashes) and cost to taxpayers (in the form of increased law enforcement, hospital costs, etc.), while exacerbating the growing phenomenon in which restaurants ‘morph’ into bars/clubs late at night (to peddle excessive drinking into the morning hours),” the opposition wrote.
Steve Ballmer, owner of the LA Clippers celebrates after a ribbon cutting during opening night of the Intuit Dome, the new home of the LA Clippers, in Inglewood on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Orange County Register/ SCNG)
“It’s just absurd to think that the success of billionaire Steve Ballmer’s $2 billion dollar investment in the L.A. Clippers and the Intuit Dome hinges on the ability to keep selling alcohol until 4 a.m.,” said Cruz Avila, executive director of Alcohol Justice, in an Aug. 9 statement. “Years of peer-reviewed research has proven that maintaining existing last call times is a key policy for reducing the harms from reckless drinking and from alcohol-related motor crashes. Extending to 4 a.m. is a fatal step in the wrong direction.”
The bill generated little debate when it appeared on the Senate floor for the final vote Aug. 20. Sen. Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, spoke in favor of the bill and suggested she would keep an eye on any attempts to replicate it elsewhere.
‘Last thing that city needs’
Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta, a retired firefighter who once served Inglewood, was the only senator to speak against the bill. The members of the exclusive Intuit Dome club would be “turned loose on the streets of Inglewood” at 4 a.m. and are the “last thing that city needs,” he said.
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“If they think that opening venues and having drinks until four in the morning is good for just exclusive groups, then it should be for everyone,” he said. “And my contention is that it is not good for anyone.”
Several unsuccessful attempts have been launched over the years to increase last call to 4 a.m. statewide. SB 905 in 2018 would have allowed bars and clubs in specific cities, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Coachella and West Hollywood, to apply for a license for additional hours. The bill made it through the Legislature, only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown.
“California’s laws regulating late night drinking have been on the books since 1913,” Brown wrote in his veto message. “I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem.”
