Alcoholic beverages: licenses: County of San Luis Obispo.

Assembly Member Addis's legislation authorizing additional alcohol licenses in San Luis Obispo County responds to increased tourism-driven demand by permitting up to 10 new on-sale general licenses for restaurants. The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would issue no more than five licenses annually under existing regulatory procedures.

The measure creates specific parameters around these new licenses: they cannot be transferred outside the county or to non-qualifying establishments, and their resale price cannot exceed the original fee paid. Current holders of seasonal on-sale general licenses retain eligibility to apply for the additional permits. The department may designate these as special-use licenses while maintaining all established privileges and restrictions.

According to the bill's findings, this county-specific approach addresses a mismatch between steady population growth and exponential tourism increases in San Luis Obispo County, where visitor activity has intensified demand for alcohol licenses beyond what standard population-based limits allow. The measure maintains existing licensing procedures while creating a targeted exception to quantity restrictions in this jurisdiction.