Alcoholic beverages: tied-house restrictions: symphony associations.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act contains limitations on sales commonly known as "tied-house" restrictions, which generally prohibit a manufacturer, winegrower, manufacturer's agent, California winegrower's agent, rectifier, distiller, bottler, importer, or wholesaler from furnishing, giving, or lending any money or other thing of value to any person engaged in operating, owning, or maintaining any on-sale licensed premises. Existing law authorizes specific exceptions to this prohibition, including exceptions for donations and sales to nonprofit corporations. This bill would additionally, until December 31, 2014, authorize monetary contributions and contributions of alcoholic beverages by specified alcoholic beverage licensees to a symphony association under specified circumstances, including that the symphony association has been incorporated in the City and County of San Francisco by and through its predecessor organizations for a specified amount of time. This bill would make findings regarding the need for special legislation. The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act provides that a violation of any of its provisions for which another penalty or punishment is not specifically provided is a misdemeanor. This bill would expand existing crimes by imposing additional requirements on a licensee under the act, thus, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.