California bars now legally required to offer lids for drinks
The law, Assembly Bill 2375, which took effect Tuesday, builds on existing legislation requiring bars to offer drug testing strips. Assembly Member Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, introduced both bills. The new requirement applies to bars and nightclubs with Type 48 liquor licenses, which serve beer, wine and liquor, but not food. Violating it carries no penalty, just a warning for a first offense, and the requirement sunsets in 2027.
The law was endorsed by alcohol watchdog groups like Alcohol Justice, and passed unanimously. But Bay Area bar operators told the Chronicle they were skeptical of it.
The new lid requirement is not expected to be much of a financial burden for the Bay Area's bar operators. (The law also authorizes bars to charge an additional fee for the lids.) But Roxzann De Marco, owner of popular dive bar the Rumpus Room, said her business already offered lids, which she called inexpensive without mentioning a specific price.
De Marco also said putting a coaster or napkin over drinks has been a common practice among women at bars for as long as she can remember.
While she does support measures to ensure bar goers feel safe, she called the new law a 'bandage' for a problem that requires a deeper solution at a personal and social level. 'I'm not getting on a soapbox or anything, but could we just not roofie each other instead?' she said.
Ben Bleiman, founder of the San Francisco Bar Owners Alliance, an organization of 300 local bars, also questioned the effectiveness of the new law. 'You can get 500 lids on Amazon for 50 bucks, but they won't actually do anything,' he said.
The requirement follows Assembly Bill 1013, passed in 2023, which required bars and nightclubs to offer drug testing kits for patrons starting last year. The bill also required bars to display clearly visible signs reading 'Don't get roofied! Drink spiking drug test kits available here.' The new law also requires such signs to include mentions of drink lids.
Bleiman is critical of the previous requirement. He worries about the accuracy of test strips, and he called the tone of the signs victim-blaming. 'The real problem is the predators that don't seem to be mentioned there,' Bleiman said.
At Rumpus Room, De Marco has only handed out a couple of test kits. She said she hopes the new law can offer some peace of mind, but she doesn't expect the lids to be a big hit.
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