On November 17, Governor Chris Gregoire made Seattle’s yearlong push for later bar service much harder—and likely killed the proposal altogether—by issuing a ban on “non-critical” government rule-making for the next year. While the moratorium is supposed to help small businesses (and the economy) by stabilizing regulations, one side effect is that it gives departments like the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) broad powers to say no to new rules.
“We’re directed by the governor’s office to suspend rule-making except in a few cases, such as when it protects public safety or addresses an emergency,” says Brian Smith, spokesman for the WSLCB.
But here’s a rule Seattle wants changed now: the requirement that liquor-service hours end at 2:00 a.m. “We think there’s significant benefit for small businesses in the proposal, and we plan on submitting to the WSLCB for their consideration in January,” says Aaron Pickus, spokesman for the mayor.
What are the chances the city can convince the WSLCB—a notoriously conservative agency—that current bar hours constitute an emergency that must be dealt with now, or that extending them would promote public safety?
“There’s no doubt that there’s going to be public debate over the value of [extending bar hours],” says Smith. And given that it will be hotly debated and that the WSLCB already has concerns about the public-safety impact of extending liquor service, “it’s probably not the type of exception that meets the spirit of the executive order,” Smith explains. In which case, he adds: “The city would be better off approaching the legislature.” 
Wah. Go home and drink after 2. Also lower the speed limit on the freeway to reduce fuel consumption, stress and accidents. I guess I’ll never run public office. I’d never win. Also raise taxes to pay for government services that are enjoyed.
I don’t even understand the reasoning behind the 2am law. It seems like an outdated rule that made sense in the previous decade.
But all of the arguments I’ve heard from the WSLCB remind me of an organization that’s desperately trying to hold onto power and money. Maybe it’s time for a different liquor organization to move in that respects small zoned areas and how they feel instead of these sweeping rules for the entire state (Capital Hill decides it’s own bar hours and the town of Snohomish does the same).
Now, this one seems like a no-brainer from the State’s perspective.
Later hours for bars mean more money spent on booze, more money spent on drunk-food, more money spent on cabs/busses/coffee-while-they-sober-up-enough-to-drive-back-to-the-suburbs.
Hell, if they opened the hours in Seattle, Bellevue, and Tacoma, I’m sure that would bring in some significant revenue.
No, people aren’t buying as many things, but they’re still drinking.
To understand how deep-seated our puritan, paternalistic attitude is towards alcohol, check out a copy of “You Can’t Eat Mt Rainier” by Bill Speidel. He approvingly lays out the state’s philosophy that common people can’t be trusted with too much intelectual capacity in general, and especially when it comes to liquor.
Maybe I’ll have to post it somewhere. It’s really applalling.
@Catalina
I’ll look for it. When was it published? Do you think a library would have it?
Wah. Go home and drink after 2.
I recall leaving a midnight film at The Egyptian, to get caught in a crowd which felt like Times Square on New Year’s. All of the surrounding bars had just forcibly ejected hordes of young, tipsy persons, and there was literally no room on the sidewalk for everyone. Bad news if you got shoved into the street; cabs were clogging the streets.
I’m sorry, you said something about drinking? I was at a movie.
Folks in SODO last weekend proved that even with a draconian 2:00 am closing time it’s still possible to dial up a riot after an evening of music and drinking.
Seriously. The Seattle Nightlife/Music industry’s contempt for their neighbors as evidenced by their unwillingness to adhere to any noise limits at all indicate we shouldn’t even be having the conversation concerning longer hours of service.
Why should they be rewarded for lousy behavior?
LMGTFY
@7 So wait, you moved into a district that is basically light industrial and clubs, and are now whining that the clubs make noise? The clubs were there first; they moved there because it was a district where there could be noise without disturbing residents. Go back to Madrona.
(I am reminded of the people who moved to 12th Avenue, then got the CHAC shut down, even though it, too, was there first…)
@7 – I moved to a neighborhood near Boeing field and I don’t complain about the noise the planes make because I knew the airport was there when I bought the house. If you don’t like clowns don’t go to the fucking circus.
“The clubs were there first’
Except that they weren’t. But if we want to take the historical approach then by all means encourage the clubs to program acoustic music. Banjos and megaphones shouldn’t be a problem. 1200 watt amplifiers driving beats for hours on end with a range of five or six blocks are a whole other kettle of fish.
Noise is pollution and it’s only a matter of time until the nightlife industry will have to change how they do business.
Everybody used to smoke everywhere too.
We can see how that played out.
I’d like to have a lead smelter in my apartment as a hobby but we don’t allow that any longer either.
If you don’t like the time that bars in Seattle close, move to a city that allows bars to stay open later than 2. It’s really very simple. No arguments for longer drinking hours have come close to addressing why it should happen. If you really need more time in the day to be drunk, start earlier; If you’re truly passionate about bars being open past 2 am it’s a pretty safe bet you don’t have a job in the first place (or you write for the stranger, which is a close second).
I can’t believe the Mayor’s Office is supporting extending the liquor service hours without any benefit to the residents and other businesses effected. Extended hours will cause additional need for police and fire services. If the businesses wishing to extend hours paid handsomely for the privilegde that would cover the cost of all the extra services and it was approved by neighboring businesses and residents that may be doable.
@13 Police and fire services can not be extended beyond their current time period of 24 hours a day. 😉
There are some clubs in Seattle that stay open beyond the 2am. These clubs meet draconian requirements to do so for their “patrons” to keep going once the alcohol stops. Relaxing these rules might help clubs to extend their hours and keep more customers past 2am which could lead to extending the liquor service hours.
@12 nice demonstration of one-size-fits-all thinking. Some of us have shift jobs. Next time you end up in the hospital after 11pm, ask the nurse why he/she isn’t working. I fucking dare you.
@12
Funny, I feel bad for my Seattle brethren as a New Yorker with a great job who regularly stays out until 4:00am, which is a mostly unenforced closing time out here. You know what the streets look like at 4? Mostly empty. That’s because by staying open late we allow people to go home when they’re ready, usually it’s dispersed between 1-4 and we don’t have those loud, dangerous crowds flooding out onto the street, still ready to drink.
I miss Seattle but I don’t miss its ass-backward nanny-state approach to alcohol.
Cienna – sometimes your lack of knowledge of the whole story is incredible. Yet another story just factually wrong. Extended hours is not dead, not even close. It’s going to be a long drawn out process, but we’ll get it done. Wish you would have done more research on this.
Meinert, keep your eye on the ball here. Cienna knows perfectly well extended hours ain’t dead – that’s why she felt safe toying with the notion. It was her turn to do the weekly “governor is screwing us” story for the Stranger, and she had a deadline and stuff.
GG – ok, but there are still a few people left who believe what they read in print, and when shoddy shit like this is printed it mucks up our efforts to get this done.
Please everyone, question what you read in print, rarely the full story, and often times not even partially true at all.
What about smoking?! I can care less about longer hours when there are no conditions to relax. When are we going to have smoke sections? Nobody smokes 25 feet from buildings, the law is absurd. The nightlife is pathetic here.