Written by Miguel Palacios
Thanks to work done by San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson, San Diego craft breweries will now be allowed to operate and serve alcohol on their premises without having to serve food; which was a requirement put in place by Gov. Newsom that was not supported by any science. Since the start of the Governor’s Covid-19 restrictions, the region’s craft breweries have taken a major hit that has affected not just the owners, but their suppliers and employees as well.
According to the press release from Anderson, last year, other alcohol manufacturers were exempted from having to serve food to patrons in order to remain open during the pandemic, but craft breweries were not included in the exemption. Supervisor Anderson stated that when he learned about this, he was surprised and felt the need to advocate for the local breweries to end the arbitrary and unfair requirement.
Because of this steadfast dedication, Anderson was able to help in changing the requirement by co-authoring a Board Letter to California’s Department of Public Health requesting the change. His request encompassed all of San Diego and all of California.
This is a win for the craft breweries and for the San Diego economy as well. Before quarantine measures were enacted, craft breweries contributed nearly $1.2 billion to the local economy each year and supported up to 6500 jobs. To date, San Diego County hosts over 150 independent craft breweries, all of which will be allowed to resume business safely.
Photo via Hauser’s Patio
