Amended in Assembly March 16, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 32

Introduced by Assembly Member Bloom

February 25, 2015

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 32—Relative to California Craft begin delete Brewery end delete begin insert Beverage end insert Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 32, as amended, Bloom. California Craft begin delete Brewery end delete begin insert Beverage end insert Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of April 2015 as California Craft begin delete Brewery end delete begin insert Beverage end insert Month.

Fiscal committee: no.

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WHEREAS, A craft involves skill to make things by hand; and

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WHEREAS, A beverage is a drink, especially one other than
water; and

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WHEREAS, California is the birthplace of the craft brewing
movement, when Fritz Maytag acquired the Anchor Brewing
Company in 1965 and began brewing authentic handcrafted beers;
and

WHEREAS, California is the home of the first microbrewery,
beginning with Jack McAuliffe who built a small brewery in
Sonoma from scratch, and began selling New Albion ales in 1977;
and

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WHEREAS, The second largest craft brewer in the country,
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, was founded in Chico,
California, in 1979, and spurred the craft brewery movement
around the country; and

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WHEREAS, In 1982, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly
Bill 3610 to amend the state’s tied-house laws to remove the
restriction on on-premises sales of craft beer. Following this change
in law, California became home to three of the first five brewpubs
in the United States; and

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WHEREAS, The second brewpub in the United States was
opened by the Mendocino Brewery in Hopland, California; the
third brewpub, opened in September 1984, was Buffalo Bill’s in
Hayward, California; and the fifth, opened by John Martin in March
1986, was Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, California; and

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WHEREAS, In begin delete 2012, end delete begin insert 2014, end insert the California craft brewery industry
had an annual impact of begin delete $4.7 end delete begin insert $5.5 end insert billion on the state’s economy;
and

WHEREAS, begin delete As of the end of 2012, end delete begin insert In 2014, end insert the California craft
brewery industry supported more than begin delete 45,000 end delete begin insert 50,000 end insert jobs, which
in turn create billions of dollars in positive economic impact; and

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WHEREAS, The California craft brewery industry creates more
revenue for the state and federal governments than many other
industries, generating more than $850 million in federal, state, and
local revenues in 2012; and

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WHEREAS, California now has more breweries than any other
state in the country, and in fact has more than twice as many craft
breweries as the state within the next highest number, Colorado.
The current count numbers more than 440 small, independently
owned craft breweries. An average of one in every five craft beers
produced in the United States comes from California; and

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WHEREAS, California is now known and recognized
internationally for the quality of its craft breweries. Year after
year, Californian breweries win more medals at the World Beer
Cup, the largest international beer competition in the world, and
the Great American Beer Festival, the largest beer competition in
the United States, than breweries found in other states; and

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WHEREAS, California has more than 520 small, independently
owned craft breweries; and

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WHEREAS, An average of one in every five craft beers produced
in the United States is from California; and

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WHEREAS, Small, family-owned wine producers represent the
largest number of licensed wineries in the state and nation; and

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WHEREAS, Family Winemakers of California was founded in
1990 to provide a small producer perspective on public policy
matters; and

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WHEREAS, Family Winemakers of California advocates the
rights and interests of its members to freely produce, market, and
sell their products, and is dedicated to preserving the diversity of
California wine; and

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WHEREAS, Family Winemakers of California was instrumental
in opening the United States wine market to California wine by
direct-to-consumer sales through a sustained litigation campaign
that led to the United States Supreme Court’s Granholm v. Heald
(544 v.s. 460) decision; and

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WHEREAS, The Family Winemakers of California are affiliated
with WineAmerica to establish a channel for input on national
issues and generate unity among small producers and growers
across the United States; and

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WHEREAS, The Family Winemakers of California now have
425 small, independently owned wineries, which add to the prestige
of California wine and are a significant part of the more than $60
billion state wine industry; and

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WHEREAS, The California Artisanal Distillers Guild empowers
California’s craft distillers through protection, education, and
communication; and

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WHEREAS, The guild’s member companies have a strong
commitment to promoting the responsible consumption of alcohol
as well as fighting underage drinking and drunk driving. This is
accomplished through responsible advertising, strict codes of
conduct, and other initiatives that educate the public on
common-sense guidelines for drinking and set an example of
moderation to our youth; and

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WHEREAS, The mission and goals of the guild are to protect
and promote the art and craft of small-batch and artisanal distilled
spirits making, enhance consumer awareness of California
craft-made spirits, and work to grow and ensure the long term
health of our industry; and

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WHEREAS, The California Artisanal Distillers Guild supports
California alcohol wholesalers and distributors who promote
California craft-made spirits and the importance of California’s
role in the beverage industry, support the California Visitation
and Tourism Industries, support California Small Business, support
“Buy Local” Groups and Programs in California, support the
California Farming Industry, support California suppliers of raw
materials and packaging products, and support California
restaurants, bars, and retail outlets who carry and promote
California craft-made spirits; and

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WHEREAS, begin delete Brewery end delete begin insert Beer, wine, and distilled spirits end insert tourism
is increasingly popular and contributes to the economic impact of
the state’s tourism industry; and

WHEREAS, The California craft begin delete brewing end delete begin insert beverage end insert industry is
a leader in the stewardship of natural resources and the environment
and has made a major commitment to implement sustainable
practices that are environmentally sound, including some of the
largest solar arrays in the private sector, and the use of fuel cells
and other innovative conservation techniques and processes; and

WHEREAS, Despite the challenges of intense global
competition, the state’s craft begin delete brewery end delete begin insert beverage end insert industry is strong
and growing, and is a major contributor to the economic vitality
of California; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the
month of April 2015 as California Craft begin delete Brewery end delete begin insert Beverage end insert Month;
and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.