Alcoholic beverages: additional licenses: hospitality zone.

Senator Wiener's legislation carves out a targeted exception to California's population-based liquor licensing system by authorizing up to 20 new on-sale general licenses for restaurants within a designated hospitality zone in San Francisco. The measure requires San Francisco to establish, through local ordinance, a single contiguous zone containing at least 1 million square feet of retail space where these additional licenses may be issued.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would phase in the new licenses over multiple years, with up to 10 licenses available in the first year following the zone's designation and up to five licenses annually thereafter until reaching the 20-license cap. These licenses cannot be transferred between counties or outside the hospitality zone, and their resale price cannot exceed the original fee. Current on-sale general license holders within the zone may not obtain an additional license for the same premises under this program.

The local ordinance establishing the hospitality zone must specify its boundaries and document that the area meets the retail space requirement. San Francisco retains authority to further restrict both the total number of additional licenses and eligible areas within the zone. Any ordinance creating, modifying or dissolving the zone takes effect the following July 1, and no new licenses may be issued under this program after July 1, 2033.