Amended in Assembly March 25, 2015

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 Beverage Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 32, as amended, Bloom. California Craft Beverage Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of April 2015 as California Craft Beverage Month.

Fiscal committee: no.

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

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

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

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

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

WHEREAS, In 2014, the California craft brewery industry
supported more than 50,000 jobs, which in turn create billions of
dollars in positive economic impact; and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

begin insert

WHEREAS, California is the birthplace of the artisan distilling
movement, beginning with Jörg Rupf, who founded St. George
Spirits in 1982 and trained scores of craft distillers; and

end insert

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

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

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

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

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

WHEREAS, The California craft beverage 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 beverage 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 Beverage Month; and be
it further

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