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Lauren Neuhaus

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Lauren Neuhaus is an associate in Stoel Rives’ Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources group. Lauren combines her academic background and work experience in environmental law and policy to effectively serve clients with environmental permitting, compliance, and enforcement matters.

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As we look forward to 2022, we have summarized key alcoholic beverage legal changes in California from the past year that may affect your business.

The below list of alcoholic beverage laws either went into effect immediately late in 2021 or went into effect on January 1, 2022. The legal changes span from extending pandemic relief to permitting licensed wineries to open an additional off-site tasting room, to legalization of to-go cocktails, to eased restrictions on charitable giving, among many others. If your business involves the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages, odds are good these changes affect you. As always if you have any questions regarding these new laws or the potential effect of these changes to your business, facility, or products, please contact our California alcoholic beverage attorneys.

Assembly Bill 61 – Business Pandemic Relief

Bus. & Prof. Code § 25750.5: On October 8, 2021, effective immediately, and for up to 365 days from the date the COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor is lifted, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) may permit licensees to exercise license privileges in an expanded licensed area.

Previously, it was unlawful for a licensee of the ABC to sell or serve alcoholic beverages outside of the licensed establishment’s approved footprint, with few exceptions. The ABC, pursuant to emergency orders of the Governor relating to COVID-19, has established temporary relief measures to suspend certain legal restrictions relating to expansion of licensed footprint, sales of to-go alcoholic beverages, and delivery privileges. A.B. 61 specifically authorizes the ABC to permit licensees to exercise their license privileges in an expanded area for up to 365 days after the end of the state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor. This expanded area includes on-sale consumption of alcohol on property controlled by the licensee adjacent to licensed premises.
Continue Reading Cheers to a New Year: California’s New Alcoholic Beverage Laws for 2022

Late last year, the President signed the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Act of 2020, which made most of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (“CBMTRA”) provisions permanent starting January 1, 2021.  The CBMTRA makes extensive changes to the federal excise taxes on wine, distilled spirits, and beer.
Continue Reading Significant Tax Credits for the Alcoholic Beverage Industry

In July, we blogged about the State Water Resources Control Board’s (“State Water Board’) release of proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water Treatment Systems (see: July 15, 2020 blog post on proposed General Order and July 20, 2020 blog post on noticed stakeholder meetings).  The State Water Board recently issued a revised…

As a follow-up to our July 15, 2020 blog post regarding the State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Water Board) release of proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water Treatment Systems (proposed General Order), today the State Water Board issued a public notice regarding the first stakeholder meeting to discuss fees…

On July 3, 2020, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) released proposed General Waste Discharge Requirements for Winery Process Water Treatment Systems (proposed General Order) along with the draft California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Initial Study and Mitigated Declaration for public comment.  The proposed General Order will apply statewide, and includes requirements to ensure winery operations will not adversely impact water quality. The State Water Board also noticed a July 22, 2020 public workshop and future proposed adoption of the proposed General Order.  The July 22, 2020 public workshop will begin at 9:30 a.m. via remote attendance only.  Although a quorum of the State Water Board will be present at the public workshop, no final action will be taken at the workshop.
Continue Reading California Wineries Take Note: State Water Board Releases Draft General Order for Winery Process Water for Public Comment

About the Alcoholic Beverages Law Blog

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The Stoel Rives Alcohol Beverage Blog provides wineries, breweries, distilleries, cideries, distributors and importers with articles and information across a broad spectrum of state and federal alcohol beverage law. The authors work on alcohol beverage related projects from our bases in California, Oregon and Washington, throughout the Western United States and beyond.