It never should have been controversial, but leave it to the neo-prohibitionist crusaders to start an unnecessary fight.<\/p>\n
It’s become commonplace these days to see barber shops and salons offer free booze to lure in customers — a bottle of beer, perhaps, or a glass of wine. Hair and nail salons, in particular<\/a>, increasingly view free wine as part of the pampering experience many female clients expect. <\/p>\n Technically this is illegal. You’re supposed to have a liquor license to serve alcohol. <\/p>\n In California, the General Assembly has addressed this strange criminalization of barbers and beauticians. As noted here<\/a> at The Brutal Hammer, the Assembly voted last May to permit free booze at barbershops and salons, provided the customer receives no more than 12 oz. of beer or 6 oz. of wine<\/em>. The Bill (AB-1322, viewable here<\/a>) also cuts off free drinks after 10 p.m. <\/p>\n Problem solved, right? <\/p>\n Not according to an outfit called the California Alcohol Policy Alliance<\/a>. Last weekend, CAPA demonstrators rallied in Los Angeles to demand Gov. Jerry Brown veto AB-1332. “Alcohol Belongs in Saloons Not Salons!” and “Cut My Hair Not My Liver!” <\/a>were the demonstrators’ rallying cries. <\/p>\n