To-Go Cocktails To Stay In Tri-Valley? Newsom Says Drink Up

TRI-VALLEY, CA — Do you have a favorite Tri-Valley mixologist who doesn't make house calls? No worries, to-go will be a thing even after California reopens later this month.

"NEW: The pandemic may be going away... but your to-go cocktails don’t have to! CA will now allow to-go cocktails and outdoor dining expansions to stay after we fully reopen on June 15th," Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted Thursday.

For months Alameda and Contra Costa counties have not imposed restrictions greater than the state, so there's no reason to think to-go cocktails would be curtailed locally.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Newsom's move will be temporary or permanent but he wasn't the first lawmaker to consider it. To help California restaurants amid the pandemic, in February state Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) introduced SB-389. If passed, the legislation would make permanent the practice of selling to-go cocktails currently allowed by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Under Dodd's legislation, no alcoholic drinks may be sold unless accompanied by food. And the proposal calls for appropriate safeguards enforced by ABC to ensure alcohol is not sold to minors.

Dodd issued a statement in response to Newsom's news Thursday.

"I thank the governor for his leadership in supporting the recovery of restaurants,” Dodd said. "They have been devastated by the pandemic and this action will immediately assist these small businesses and the people they employ. My own legislation will make to-go cocktail service permanent, providing long-term relief and consumer choice."

What about California's open-container laws? The tricky transport of to-go drinks is also addressed in Dodd's proposal. The beverages must be in manufacturer prepackaged containers or "packaged in a container with a secure lid or cap sealed in a manner designed to prevent consumption without removal of the lid or cap by breaking the seal," the bill's text reads.

Dodd's legislation passed the state Senate in May but the Assembly has not yet weighed in.

To boost support for his bill, earlier this year Dodd cited a survey by the National Restaurant Association that found 78 percent of restaurant owners who began selling take-out alcohol had rehired laid-off employees compared to 62 percent overall.

While California is slated to nix its color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy and reopen the state on June 15, Tri-Valley businesses have largely reopened. Both Alameda and Contra Costa counties have achieved orange-tier status in the framework, which is the second-best level in the state's four-tiered, color-coded COVID-19 risk assessment system.