INGLEWOOD – The city of Inglewood is scheduled to hold a Public Hearing on Feb. 25 at 2:00 p.m. to discuss permitting extended alcohol sales at the Intuit Dome between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m.
The agenda item seeks to accomplish two things:
- Affirm Categorical Exemption (EA-CE-2024-147); and
- Introduce an Ordinance Approving Zoning Code Amendment No. 24-00003 (ZCA24-
00003) to extend the hours of the on-site sale of alcohol until 4:00 a.m. in the Sports and
Entertainment (SE) Overlay Zone.
The Inglewood Planning Commission approved extending VIP alcohol service at the Intuit Dome during the body’s Jan. 14 meeting.
Inglewood Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor introduced the bill which was sponsored by the arena’s ownership.
Assembly Bill 3206 allows the sale of alcohol in the Intuit Dome between 2:00 a.m. and 4 a.m.
AB 3206 would limit the size of the private club the sales would occur in, limit the number of customers allowed in the private club, and limit the days the venue can offer after-hour alcohol sales to mitigate public health and safety concerns.
The bill would only apply to the one venue in the city, which is scheduled to host the 2026 NBA All Star Game and is believed to be a venue for the 2028 Olympics. The bill would sunset in 2030.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 3206 into law in September 2024 noting it could lead to an increase in driving under the influence related crashes and fatalities.
“I am directing California Highway Patrol to work with local agencies to track DUI incidents in the surrounding communities and to prepare a report on the impact of extended alcohol service hours that can inform the Legislature’s evaluation of any further proposals to extend alcohol service.”
The planning commission’s approval came with conditions related to AB 3206 which include the sales must occur in a private area in the arena no larger than 2,500 square feet, must be available only to members of a private club, maximum capacity of 100 persons, restricted to patrons 21 years of age and older and must occur in the hours immediately following a day on which a sporting event, concert or other major event has occurred in the arena.
Commissioner David Rice asked if staff knew of the number of private rooms and how many private clubs would be allowed.
“They haven’t decided where the private club will be but they do have to go through building safety for the tenant improvement and that’s when we will see exactly where the club will be,” said planner Christine Rivera.
The applicant was represented by Gerard McCallum who explained it is a pilot program that would eventually happen statewide and would sunset in 2030.
“It will be in a limited, one space, that we are still in the process of determining as the dome is still under construction,” said McCallum.
“The idea behind why this club is because it is a state of the art NBA arena, from the way it operates is very efficient, using facial ID and we want to bring this type of exclusivity to the city of Inglewood and we are taking this access very seriously.”
The City noted the Intuit Dome was issued a temporary Certificate of Occupancy on November 26, 2024.