Outdoor And To-Go Alcohol Sales Allowed To Continue All Year

LOS ANGELES, CA — Thanks to the pandemic, Californians may be able to take one for the road for the rest of the year. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced plans to let restaurants continue to serve alcohol outdoors, to-go, and by delivery — a holdover from the coronavirus shutdown.

Under state guidelines, patrons would have to purchase food in order to buy alcohol to go. The service, which evolved when in-person dining was prohibited during the worst of the pandemic, helped restaurants stay afloat with alcohol sales.

"California's restaurants help create the vibrant and diverse communities that make California the envy of the world," Newsom said. "As the state turns to post-pandemic life, we'll continue to adapt best practices that have helped businesses transform customer experience for the better.

"With new opportunities and support for businesses large and small, and the California can-do spirit that has carried us through the past year, we will come roaring back from this pandemic."

The state will also continue permitting restaurants and bars to operate in outdoor areas such as sidewalks and parking lots, although such operations are still subject to local zoning regulations. According to Newsom's office, the governor is "urging local governments to facilitate outdoor dining through local zoning and programs that support and promote expanded, open-air, take-out and delivery options."

The extended rules announced by Newsom will also allow bars to continue partnering with food trucks, catering companies or restaurants to sell meals with alcoholic beverages.

The measures were extended as the state's tourism and hospitality industry lags behind other industries in recovering from the economic toll of the pandemic.

The California Republican Party scoffed at Newsom's announcement, deeming it a hollow gesture to an industry that "suffered more than most under Gavin Newsom's overbearing shutdowns."

"... Newsom offered little to the nearly one-third of California restaurants that permanently closed during the pandemic and two-thirds of employees who at least temporarily lost their jobs," according to the state GOP, which called the announcement an effort by Newsom to detract from a pending recall election.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.