In vetoing the measure, Gov. Jerry Brown said he believed “we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem.”
California currently suffers over 10,500 alcohol-related deaths and $35 billion in costs annually. The California Office of Traffic Safety has reported that fatal DUI is a chronic, worsening problem for the state. Between 2014 and 2016, alcohol-related crash deaths rose 21%.
“That number would have only gone up with two additional hours of alcohol consumption,” said alcohol Justice, an anti-alcohol advocacy group. “The only benefits of selling alcohol between 2 and 4 a.m. would be greater profits to bar, restaurant, and club owners; while the public and all levels of government would be forced to continue to cover the costs of cleaning up the mess that follows.”