Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Granting Exclusive Intuit Dome Club To Serve Alcohol Until 4 A.M.

Governor Gavin Newsom has faced increased criticism this week for signing a bill that allows a lone VIP club at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood to serve alcohol until 4 A.M. Many now charge Newsom with favoritism over the dome and club being owned by a top donor, Los Angeles Clippers owner and former CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer.

Assembly Bill 3206, authored by Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor (D-Hawthorne), specifically grants a major exception to California law, which halts the sale of alcohol in such places at 2 A.M. Under the bill, and until January 1, 2030, alcoholic beverage sales are allowed to occur between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. upon the on-sale licensed premises operated in a fully enclosed arena with a seating capacity of at least 18,000 seats located in the City of Inglewood. In this regard, the bill will require that the sales occur in a private area in the arena no larger than 2,500 square feet in the hours immediately following a day on which a sporting event, concert, or other major event, or a private event not open to the public, has occurred in the arena. AB 3206 will also require the licensee to file a request with the governing body of the City of Inglewood for adoption of an ordinance that would allow that activity, notify local law enforcement agencies of the request, and if such an ordinance is adopted, submit the ordnance to the department.

Ballmer said that the bill was “needed as a boost to a unique Los Angeles community that draws hundreds of thousands of sports fans each year”, despite the bill making his Intuit Dome club the only one in the state with a last-call at 4 A.M. rather than 2 A.M. Other supporters noted that the extended hours would help boost the local economy, despite the club only having around 100 members.

A torrent of opposition came against AB 3206. Many noted that the later hours would only worsen drunk driving and other alcohol related crimes in the area. Others simply said that it was a matter of fairness, that one club shouldn’t have an exception. However, the biggest complaint came against Ballmer himself. Ballmer’s wife, Connie Ballmer, donated well over $1 million to Newsom’s stop the recall campaign in 2021, with Ballmer’s company donating over $700,000 for drinking law bills.

“If they think opening venues and having drinking until 4 o’clock in the morning is good for just exclusive groups, then it should be for everyone, and my contention is, it’s not good for anyone,” said Senator Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta) of the bill.

The heavy opposition nearly torpedoed the bill in both the Assembly and Senate, barely passing multiple times throughout the year. The closest call came with the first Senate vote in August, where it squeaked by 23-12 with 5 abstentions. Despite this, most Democrats in both houses joined together to pass the bill. And, despite cries for Newsom to veto it, he wound up signing it into law on Sunday.

However, since then, Newsom has been blasted over social media for his decision, with the story failing to go out of the news cycle. Multiple outlets began investigating the bill immediately, bringing to light all the money Ballmer and Ballmer’s family put towards both Newsom and passing the bill. Many even began saying that Newsom has been corrupt over the entire bill, and that he should have never signed it in the first place. Even worse for Newsom, the same lobbyist at the center of Newsom’s 2020 French Laundry scandal over not wearing masks at a famed restaurant during a time where that was against the law, Jason Kinney, had lobbied Newsom on AB 3206.

California's state lobbying records show Steve Ballmer/Murphy's Bowl LLC paid Kinney's firm, Axiom, to lobby for this legislation and others.

Assemblymember Tina McKinnor is the author of the bill. Her office denied having any contact with Axiom at all on it.

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) October 1, 2024

Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said earlier this week that “the Governor’s decisions on legislation are made solely on the merits of each bill.” However, many experts on the subject disagree.

“People hate Ballmer over this because of all the underhanded things he did to get it to go his way,” explained sporting even legal consultant Andre Watson to the Globe on Wednesday. “It really puts a taint on that Dome in Inglewood. And as for Newsom, the optics for him couldn’t be worse. The bill grants a sole exception of a major California law for a donor. The person who helped convince him of this was part of Newsom’s largest recent scandal. And to the average fan shelling out big bucks to see a game there, a bunch of millionaires and billionaires getting special privileges in their ugly new stadium really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Say what you will about SoFi Stadium next door being gaudy, but the owner there didn’t use a dollar of public money and didn’t try to do what Ballmer did for major legal exceptions.

“Whatever office Newsom runs for next, this will definitely come up. Oh, and this isn’t over. Not by a long shot. There will be legal challenges to this.”

More on the growing AB 3206 situation is expected later this week.