Alcoholic beverages.

In a proposal from Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, the measure would establish a Colusa County–specific exception to the statewide on-sale license cap, authorizing up to 10 additional original on-sale licenses for bona fide public eating places and permitting these licenses to be issued through the existing Alcoholic Beverage Control licensing process, with strict locality limits and resale safeguards that prohibit transfer outside Colusa or sale above the original fee. The provision also allows seasonal license holders to apply for these original licenses, and it directs that the licenses may be designated as on-sale general for special use without altering their underlying privileges.

The new authorization is tightly constrained: licenses issued under this provision may not be transferred to a different county or to ineligible premises, and they may not be sold for a price greater than the original fee paid. The bill would also empower the department to designate these licenses as on-sale general for special use, while preserving the existing license framework. These Colusa-specific licenses are intended to be localized within Colusa County and are expressly not transferable outside the county.

Concurrently, the measure extends the existing program governing retail advertising glassware associated with beer manufacturers and on-sale licensees by extending its sunset to January 1, 2029. It adds and clarifies definitions for “beer manufacturer,” “case,” “glassware,” and “retail advertising glassware.” The amendments preserve caps on glassware transfers: beer manufacturers may give up to five cases per licensed location per year, and on-sale licensees may accept up to 10 cases per location per year, with conditions prohibiting monetization or conditionality tied to beer purchases. The bill requires recordkeeping: manufacturers must log deliveries within 30 days and maintain records for three years; licensees must retain records of glassware received and of other glassware for three years and produce records upon request. The new provisions remain in effect through 2028 unless extended.

The bill includes findings that a special statute is necessary for Colusa County due to its unique economic conditions and notes that the fiscal committee must review related costs, with no explicit appropriation included in the text. Enforcement would continue under the existing Alcoholic Beverage Control framework, applying the new Colusa provisions in parallel with current licensing rules and the extended glassware program. Taken together, the measure delineates a county-targeted licensing pathway alongside an extended, tightly regulated glassware program, situating both within the broader statutory regime governing alcoholic beverages and its administrative processes.