Our industry has seen many victories, but we still need to make it over the finish line. Sept. 30 marks the deadline for when the governor signs or vetoes the bills that passed the legislature. Until that deadline, the CRA will stay active on a handful of essential bills. SB 969, a CRA-supported bill, is one that aims to restore downtowns still hurting from the pandemic by allowing local governments to establish “entertainment zones” where restaurants can sell alcohol for street fairs, festivals, and other outdoor public events. The legislation is intended to help bring people and events back to communities all over the state, provide sufficient public safety guardrails and community involvement, and remove an economic barrier that previously prohibited restaurants from participating in sales.

And you’ve heard from us before on the gift card bill – SB 1272 - which proposed to require businesses to cash out any balances of $25 or less. Sabrina updates us on what happened with these key issues and what’s next in this week’s News You Need to Know.

WINNING FOR CALIFORNIA RESTAURANTS

Your voice matters when it comes to CRA’s advocacy efforts. Without our restaurateurs, victories like the reform to stop lawsuit abuse (PAGA) would not be possible. You can support our efforts to protect the industry by:

• Becoming a Member
• Signing up for Advocacy Alerts
• Donating to the PAC