Alcoholic beverages: licenses.

Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry's proposal to modify California's alcoholic beverage licensing framework directs the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to evaluate statewide off-sale general license needs while creating a targeted expansion of on-sale licenses in Colusa County.

The bill requires ABC to study and report to the Legislature by January 2027 on whether additional off-sale general licenses should be issued beyond current population-based limits. This study requirement would expire in 2031. For Colusa County specifically, the legislation authorizes ABC to issue up to 10 new on-sale general licenses for bona fide public eating places. Current seasonal license holders may apply for these additional permits, which must follow standard ABC issuance procedures.

These new Colusa County licenses come with specific restrictions - they cannot be transferred outside the county or to non-qualifying establishments, and their resale price cannot exceed the original licensing fee. ABC may designate them as special-use licenses while maintaining their core privileges and limitations. The bill's findings indicate these provisions address unique economic circumstances in Colusa County that require targeted policy solutions rather than general statewide regulations.