To-Go Cocktails After June 15 In RivCo? Newsom Says Drink Up

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Do you have a favorite 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.

Since last summer, Riverside County has 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, Riverside County has largely reopened despite its orange-tier status in the framework. Still, the region continues to see improved COVID-19 statistics, although the county lacks behind many others — and the state — in vaccination rates.

As of Wednesday, 39.9 percent of Riverside County's vaccine-eligible population was fully vaccinated compared to the state's 51.6 percent. For information on vaccination in Riverside County, click here.

The number of hospital patients infected with coronavirus in Riverside County increased marginally Thursday, and two additional virus-related deaths were reported.

According to the Riverside University Health System, 37 people countywide were hospitalized with COVID-19, three more than Wednesday. That number includes 10 intensive care unit patients, up one from a day ago.

The total number of virus cases recorded since the pandemic began in March 2020 is 300,879, up 28 from the day before, according to RUHS.

A total of 4,614 deaths from virus-related complications have been recorded in the last 14 months.