For six years, Californians have been able to shake up a craft cocktail at home using alcohol delivered to their doorstep. Now, it鈥檚 last call for the distillery deliveries, unless lawmakers intervene by the end of this month.
That鈥檚 unlikely, thanks to opposition from California鈥檚 wine industry, Teamsters union truck drivers and corporate alcohol wholesalers and distributors.
The influential, well-funded groups lobbied the Legislature behind closed doors this year to block legislation that would have made permanent pandemic-era rules that allowed craft distillers to ship spirits directly to their customers. During the pandemic lockdowns, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that allowed craft distillers to ship spirits to their customers鈥� homes. In the years since, lawmakers passed temporary laws allowing craft distillers 鈥� defined as those that produce up to 150,000 gallons a year 鈥� to keep shipping their spirits. The latest extension expires Dec. 31.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a lot of hope that we鈥檙e going to be able to salvage this,鈥� said Folsom Republican Assemblymember . He tried unsuccessfully this year to amend one of to let small distillers continue shipping directly to their customers.
The groups blocking Hoover鈥檚 proposal have spent more than $1 million lobbying the Legislature and state government this year. They have donated at least 11 times that much to California politicians and their campaigns over the years. The craft distillers, who have spent a fraction as much on state politics, say all that spending from the opposition, particularly from corporate liquor distributors, appears to have paid off.
鈥淭hey went directly to legislators鈥� offices and basically torpedoed any effort we came up with,鈥� said Cris Steller, acting executive director of the California Distillers Association and the owner of Amador and Dry Diggings Distillery in El Dorado Hills, a family-run business that makes whiskey, brandy, vodka and gin.
The fight is about more than whether Californians can have a bottle of whiskey or gin delivered. It illustrates how decisions are made in Sacramento, where wealthy and powerful interests can shape or kill policy in with lawmakers. Politicians, in turn, benefit when proposals die quietly because they don鈥檛 have to explain their decisions to voters.
Opponents insist they aren鈥檛 using the political system to crush competitors as national .
Instead, representatives of the major alcohol wholesalers and distributors that stock shelves at liquor retailers say they oppose the proposal because it primarily benefits out-of-state companies and weakens safeguards that include preventing alcohol deliveries to minors.
Teamsters lobbyist Matt Broad said the labor group鈥檚 truck drivers aren鈥檛 opposed to allowing craft distillers to ship their product. They just want them to use established shipping companies that have actual employees, including those that employ Teamsters, such as UPS.
Those companies have standards to ensure legal delivery, Broad said. When they employ drivers rather than use contractors, the companies 鈥� not the drivers 鈥� bear legal liability.
Federal law preempts California from mandating hiring unionized truck drivers, Broad said.
鈥淲e are absolutely not opposed to the little guys being able to ship directly to consumers, and in fact, we have a track record of supporting the proposal but with meaningful guardrails that protect our members and protect the public,鈥� he told CalMatters. The California wine industry, which has been allowed to ship bottles directly to customers in California for decades, isn鈥檛 necessarily opposed either. But its representative says wine sellers are leery of giving little alcohol sellers delivery rights when big liquor companies deserve the same. Wineries of any size can ship to their customers in California.
Big booze, big labor spend big
The U.S. Postal Service prohibits most alcohol shipments to homes, but California allows certain types of alcohol sellers to use private shipping companies. Breweries are prohibited from shipping directly to California customers.
Hoover hoped his , a proposal to give craft distillers the ability to offer tastings and sell spirits at locations other than their distilleries, could be amended to give craft distillers a permanent direct-to-consumer provision.
It has advanced through the Legislature without formal opposition or any lawmaker voting against it, according to CalMatters鈥� . The measure is pending before the full Senate.
There may be no formal opposition, but reports filed with the California secretary of state show an extensive behind-the-scenes lobbying effort aimed at preventing any changes.
At least six groups, including some of the biggest national alcohol distributors, have reported lobbying on Hoover鈥檚 bill.
The reports show those groups spent more than $1 million on lobbying this year. State ethics laws only require entities to report the total amount they spent lobbying the government in a year. They鈥檙e not required to report how much they spent on specific legislation, so it鈥檚 unclear how much they spent trying to influence lawmakers as they considered AB 2211 and its never-published direct-shipping amendment.
Those groups, along with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Wine Institute, have given at least $11 million to both Democrats and Republicans in California since 2000, , including at least $738,000 , the start of the current two-year legislative session.
By comparison, California鈥檚 craft distillers reported spending $54,000 on lobbying this year.
to lawmakers in the past decade, according to Digital Democracy. One was a $42 bottle of whiskey in 2022 to former Napa Democratic Sen. Bill Dodd, who now lobbies on behalf of the craft distillery industry. In 2023, Assembly Speaker received $215 in tequila. Democratic Assemblymember-turned U.S. Rep. Adam Gray received a $1,300 campaign donation in 2016.
Hoover said he has been trying since last year to add language to his bill that would allow craft distillers to permanently keep shipping. He succeeded last year in getting the extension that expires Dec. 31, but this year he鈥檚 been unable to overcome the opposition to expanding the tasting room measure.
鈥淚鈥檓 always open to figuring this out, if there鈥檚 a way that we can make this work. 鈥� but I don鈥檛 have a lot of hope that this bill is going to preserve those provisions this year,鈥� he said.
With less than a month left before the Legislature finishes for the year on Aug. 31, Democratic leaders would likely need to sign off on changes to Hoover鈥檚 tasting room measure. They鈥檝e offered little indication they intend to intervene for craft distillers. Rivas, who鈥檚 received at least in donations over the years from opponents of Hoover鈥檚 unpublished proposal, declined CalMatters鈥� request for an interview. Senate President Pro Tem , who鈥檚 , responded to an interview request with an emailed statement saying she is aware of the pending deadline.
鈥淭his bill will continue to work its way through the legislative process as intended,鈥� it said.
Democratic Sen. and her sister, Democratic Assemblymember , oversee the committees that regulate California鈥檚 alcohol industry. When Hoover鈥檚 measure passed through their committees, the chairs could have allowed Hoover to add the direct-to-consumer amendment. They did not.
Susan Rubio has received at in donations from the groups blocking the direct-shipping proposal, according to Digital Democracy. Blanca Rubio has received . Sen. Rubio鈥檚 spokesperson, Giovanni Ruiz Reyes, responded to interview requests with emailed statements. The first said 鈥渃onversations between stakeholders are ongoing鈥� and that she 鈥渓ooks forward鈥� to reviewing potential legislation. Ruiz Reyes said in a second statement Thursday that she鈥檚 supported four previous extensions of the craft distiller shipping policy. 鈥淭here is currently no bill or amendment before the committee seeking another extension,鈥� Ruiz Reyes said. 鈥淎ccordingly, it would be inaccurate to suggest that Senator Rubio or the committee has blocked or refused to hear an extension when no such proposal is currently before the committee.鈥�
Assemblymember Rubio didn鈥檛 return interview requests.
Fewer Americans are drinking
The liquor industry is facing a nationwide decline as more .
In that difficult business climate, corporate liquor wholesalers and distribution companies lobbied 鈥渢o obliterate competition,鈥� said Dodd, the former state senator from wine country lobbying on behalf of craft distillers.
鈥淲e oppose any effort to make DTC (direct to consumer) permanent,鈥� the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors and the California Family Beer Distributors wrote in a joint statement to CalMatters.
Craft distilleries鈥� direct shipping 鈥渨as always meant to be temporary pandemic relief, and it鈥檚 expiring exactly as designed, six years later鈥� said the groups, which represent local and national companies that move many of America鈥檚 best-known beer, wine and liquor brands. They argue that after the law expires, spirits can still be delivered to customers through services such as DoorDash. DoorDash is listed as a member of the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America on its website.
The groups鈥� representative, Kevin Luckey, declined an interview request.
Steve Gross, president and CEO of the Wine Institute, said the wine industry has worked hard over the decades to have large and small wine sellers treated equally under California and national alcohol distribution laws. He said it would undermine his industry鈥檚 efforts if small distillers get delivery rights in California when large ones don鈥檛 have them.
鈥淭hey have the option to go in and try and fight for a bill that we and others could also support,鈥� Gross said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e chosen not to because those larger distillers are not their members.鈥�
The Wine Institute is a lobbying group that represents more than 700 large and small wine sellers, including one of the world鈥檚 largest, Modesto-based Gallo Winery.
Craft distillers say they鈥檝e tried to work with the groups blocking their bill to address their concerns, but they have gotten nowhere.
In the meantime, Steller, the El Dorado Hills distiller, has already started pulling back on shipping bottles to his customers because the Legislature won鈥檛 budge.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to keep putting money into a program that鈥檚 going to get yanked,鈥� he said.
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