SB 969 – The California Legislature is about to point a gun at someone. They do not know who’s on the other end of the barrel, they don’t even know who holds the trigger, they are even lying to each other about it not being a gun. But with SB 969, they have a piece of legislation that threatens to create violence, upend neighborhoods, and take lives.
SB 969 seems simple on its face: it would allow bars and restaurants to sell alcohol out their door without having to interact with patrons for more than a second. But the effect is to create zones where people only enter to drink, no bar can cut them off, no wait staff can ID them, and nobody can be held responsible if violence erupts.
Both Alcohol Justice and the media refer to these situations as Bourbon Streets, like the notorious party zone in New Orleans. Its author, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has lied extensively about it being only about parades, but SB 969 clearly and blatantly intends for these zones to be recurrent if not perpetual. They are not bound by times or days of the week, and don’t require additional police or other security. They don’t require extra staff for the bars—in fact, they explicitly allow those bars to furlough staff and spend the day selling directly out the front window.
They don’t even require the road itself to be closed.
The result, as with any policy intended to concentrate the number of people drinking in one place, is a great likelihood of violence. The concentration beyond the reach of security staff makes it easier for this violence to snowball. And the experience of Bourbon St. itself shows exactly what any municipality that goes full-bore with a party zone is risking.
Despite its reputation as a party center, Bourbon Street is wracked with violence. Just this summer, we’ve seen shootings on May 23rd, June 21st, June 30th, July 2nd, and August 10th. It took the life of Christopher Oatts, Jr., a SeaWorld employee on vacation with his family. It left Andre Preston, a young local out celebrating his birthday, dead. It left dozens of others injured. These were all tragedies; nobody could have predicted these revelers would be in the way of a bullet when they woke up that morning.
Given the hyper concentration of alcohol and the deliberate contempt for responsible beverage service, bouncers, or accountability, a violent incident will happen sooner or later. If the reckless nihilism of the bill stays in place, more will happen after that. In addition, it ignores the additional dangerous driving, the nonfatal injuries, the accidents and the endless costs for emergency services.
The bill is not yet law, however, and awaits a final Assembly floor vote. Quick action is needed to stop the bill now—please contact your Assemblymember via the link below and tell them to STOP SB 969.