Lurie Gets His 20 New Liquor Licenses for Union Square, After Newsom Signs Bill Allowing These

The article was originally published on https://sfist.com/2025/10/08/lurie-gets-his-20-new-liquor-licenses-for-union-square-after-newsom-signs-bill-allowing-it/There may be 20 new bars coming to Union Square, or maybe existing restaurants given the newfound right to serve booze, as Governor Newsom granted Mayor Lurie and Scott Wiener their wish for 20 new liquor licenses for Union Square. Back in the early days of the Mayor Daniel Lurie administration, Lurie and state Senator Scott Wiener hatched a scheme this past February to add 20 new liquor licenses to the Union Square neighborhood. This was consistent with SF City Hall’s ongoing strategy that giving people more opportunities to buy alcohol in new places would somehow jumpstart the sluggish downtown economy. And that strategy does seem