California officials who have fought for months to extend California’s last call time for alcohol from 2 AM to 4 AM won’t witness the institution of their proposed bill anytime soon, it seems.

The bill circulated throughout the state’s Senate where it passed, pushing the bill forward to the Assembly, the final hurdle in the bill acceptance process before reaching the governor for signature. Despite the creation of a petition in support of the bill that notably received more than 1,000 signatures, the bill did not pass the Assembly round. The bill’s Assembly rejection proved to be particularly irritating to Senator Scott Wiener, the spearhead of the “Let Our Communities Adjust Late Night Act” (LOCAL) on which the bill was built.

My bill to allow local communities to extend bar and nightclub hours to 4 am suffered a setback today. Here's my statement. pic.twitter.com/1h6eVEY9Gg

— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) September 1, 2017

Opponents of LOCAL and its corresponding bill asserted that extending drinking hours from 2 to 4 AM would likely invite an increase in DUIs and various other alcohol-related offenses — their counterarguments have led lawmakers to implement a task force devoted to the study of the extended call time and its potential effects.

Wiener, however, finds the creation of such a task force unnecessary. “There’s no need to study anything,” Wiener wrote in a Twitter post, “There’s nothing radical about letting local communities decide for themselves whether to let their bars and nightclubs go later. It’s embarrassing that California shuts down its nightlife so early. We’re not going to give up. Nightlife matters to our economy and culture, and California’s one-size-fits-all approach to closing time needs to be reformed.”

H/T: Mixmag

Read More:

California approves bill allowing bars 4AM closing time

Could California eliminate the 2 AM last call?

Tags: California, last call, LOCAL

Categories: News