November 5, 2024 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

WeHo: Another Sin City in the Making?

By Henry Giardina

If WeHo City Council approves a new bill, L.A.’s popular party city could stay liquored up until 4 a.m. But is it a good thing?

First, there was prop 64, the historic law that made the recreational purchase of marijuana legal on the streets of West Hollywood. Now, a new measure could make it possible for the city’s bars and restaurants to sell alcohol until 4 a.m., extending the city’s nightlife two hours past the traditional 2 a.m. sale limit.

Democratic San Francisco Senator Scott Weiner introduced the bill earlier this year as a modification to an older version from 2017.

“Last year we had huge support for extending hours for bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, and this renewed effort builds on that support,” Weiner said in a statement. “Nightlife is central to the culture and economy of many of our cities, and they should be empowered to choose to extend alcohol sales hours if they choose. This bill offers a nuanced and responsible approach to give cities local control to make this determination.”

If passed, SB 905 would go into effect on January 1, 2020, allowing West Hollywood bars to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. It’s up to the West Hollywood City Council to approve the measure.

The new late-night law, also known as “LOCAL” (Let Our Communities Adjust Late-Night) will extend to five cities in addition to West Hollywood: San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Long Beach.

Most local lawmakers view the bill as a positive change, an amendment to some of the archaic leftover prohibition laws of the early 20th century.

“Cities should be able to choose for themselves whether extending nightlife hours would make sense for a community,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in a statement. “This bill would give us the tools to look more closely at what is best for public safety and our economy, and to make those decisions at the local level.”

“California is a diverse state with cities and neighborhoods that have different needs for nightlife, and we shouldn’t have a one-size-fits-all closing time,” said Senator Scott Wiener. “Last year we had huge support for extending hours for bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, and this renewed effort builds on that support. Nightlife is central to the culture and economy of many of our cities, and they should be empowered to choose to extend alcohol sales hours if they choose. This bill offers a nuanced and responsible approach to give cities local control to make this determination.”

Some citizens, like L.A. Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, believe that the LOCAL measure will bring more commerce and financial stability to smaller cities within Los Angeles. This could be a help for places like San Francisco and West Hollywood in particular, whose status as sanctuary cities pits them against the federal agenda under Trump’s administration. The thought is that the more independent local commerce and local governments can become, the better off they’ll be when it comes time to fight back against federal measures trying to limit or change their sanctuary status.

However, other members of the West Hollywood community see this measure as a problem. With weed newly legalized and bars staying open later, many citizens fear that SB 905 will bring out West Hollywood’s dark side, in the form of drug scandals, mysterious deaths, and other issues plaguing WeHo’s gay community. Just a week ago, the death of 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, who died of a meth overdose at Democratic donor Ed Buck’s house last summer, came back into the headlines after new allegations surfaced about the donor’s crystal meth habit. A few weeks before that, the news of Discovery Channel star Joel Taylor’s death by overdose aboard a West Hollywood-based Atlantis Cruise line pulled even more attention toward the developing issue of drug use and sex work in the Creative City. With the rest of the country undergoing an opioid crisis leading to more deaths each day in rural areas, the problems of West Hollywood are less discussed by journalists, or otherwise written off as the natural byproduct of a “party” city lifestyle.

While all these questions were in the air before the legalization of marijuana in the beginning of the year, the new bill raises questions about what will happen to the city’s moral fabric in the late after hours. According to a report on the West Hollywood website WeHoBytheNumbers.com, the city is home to 234 active alcohol retail licenses as of late 2016, making it the city with the highest number of liquor alcohol retailers per square foot in the state of California.

If passed, a new bill could extend alcohol sale hours until 4 a.m.
Related Posts

Early Morning Call From Community Leads to Burglary Arrest in Culver City

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Police Respond To Suspicious Activity Call, Arrest Suspect With Pickaxe Culver City police arrested a man early Friday morning in...

Culver City Police Department is Prepared to Ensure Community Safety During Election Week

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Enhanced Patrols, Activated Emergency Center Ready, Culver City Voting Center is Open The Culver City Police Department has announced an...

Legendary Music Icon Quincy Jones Dies at 91 in Bel Air

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Celebrated Musician, Producer Leaves an Indelible Legacy By Dolores Quintana Legendary musician, music producer, film and television producer, composer of...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Lays Off Longtime Archive and Library Staff

November 4, 2024

November 4, 2024

Downsizing and Restructuring Continue, Affecting Employees with Decades of Service By Dolores Quintana Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture...

LA County Opens 526 New Vote Centers for Early Voting, Announces Conditional Voting for Unregistered Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro LA Offers Free Rides on Election Day to Help Residents Get to the Polls Los Angeles County opened an...

New Aviation/Century Station Opens, Linking Metro’s C and K Lines

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Metro’s Newest Station Paves the Way for Future LAX Transit Center The new Aviation/Century Station officially opened this week, marking...

H5N1 Detected in LA County Wastewater, Health Officials Urge Precautions for Residents

November 3, 2024

November 3, 2024

Los Angeles County Investigates Low-Level H5 Avian Flu Detected in Wastewater The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is...

Two Events in Culver City This Weekend: Bike Registration and Dance Performance

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

Put the Brakes on Bicycle Theft and Enjoy an Evening of Dance and Interactive Art The Culver City Police Department...

All You Need to Know to Attend the Dodgers Victory Parade Tomorrow in DTLA

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

World Champions and LA’s Team to Greet Angelenos After Win of NY Yankees The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that their...

Beverly Hills City Government Agrees to a Stipulated Judgment After Blocking Abortion Clinic Opening

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

City to Implement Training, Oversight on Reproductive Rights Following Legal Settlement  California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a legal agreement...

Dia De Los Muertos 2024: Here’s Where To Celebrate The Holiday Tradition This Weekend

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Los Angeles Has a Variety of Ways to Explore Latino Culture and Honor Ancestors Starting just after Halloween, Dia de...

(Video) Downtown L.A. Reacts to World Series Victory

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

The Dodgers Are World Series Champs For The Eighth Time https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFtyDDKn/

Halloween Pre-Game Party Brings Chills and Spooky Thrills to The Rose Venice

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

Enjoy Halloween With Festive Cocktails, Appetizers, and a Costume Contest The Rose Venice in Venice is set to host a...

(Video) Something About Her’s First Tea Time Was a Big Hit

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

The Next Date is November Third. Beautiful vibes, deciduous food and drink. Don’t miss it. @Something About Her @culvercitywlanews Something...

Something About Her Sandwich Shop Hosts Second Exclusive Tea Time on November 3

October 30, 2024

October 30, 2024

By Dolores Quintana West Hollywood’s Delightful Sandwich Spot by Vanderpump Rules Stars Has Tea Service Something About Her, the adorable...