Alcoholic beverage control: neighborhood-restricted special on-sale general licenses.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages and the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state for which various fees are charged depending upon the type of license issued. The act provides for a limitation on the amount of on-sale general licenses that may be issued by the department based on the population of the county in which the licensed premises are located, as provided. This bill would authorize the department to issue no more than 12 new original neighborhood-restricted special on-sale general licenses to bona fide public eating places located in specified census tracts in the County of Los Angeles per year beginning on January 1, 2026, until a total of 40 new licenses have been issued, as specified. The bill would impose various prohibitions pertaining to the transfer of new licenses, including, among others, a prohibition on selling or transferring the new licenses for a price greater than the original fee paid by the seller or transferor. The bill would authorize the department to adopt rules and regulations to enforce these provisions. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Los Angeles.