Anchorage restaurants for illustration 49th State Brewing are now permitted to service intoxicant astatine 8 a.m. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

The Anchorage Assembly is now allowing restaurants to service intoxicant 2 hours earlier. 

The ordinance approved by nan assemblage Tuesday nighttime says restaurants tin commencement serving intoxicant astatine 8 a.m. — effective immediately. 

Tiffany Hall testified against nan measure. Hall is head of Recover Alaska, a nonprofit aimed astatine reducing intoxicant abuse, and she said nan ordinance would summation drinking. 

“No reliable authority disputes nan statement that accrued intoxicant results successful accrued harms,” Hall said.

Assembly Chair Chris Constant said he understood those concerns, but he said he felt that edifice operators and their customers could portion responsibly.

“I judge that nan brunch hr is simply a worthy offering to nan operators who made it done nan pandemic, who are making it done nan translator of our system to a cannabis economy, astatine nan aforesaid clip there’s an intoxicant system going on,” Constant said. “And this is an opportunity.”

Silvia Villamedes is executive head of nan Alaska Hospitality Retailers organization, which represents edifice workers. She supported nan measure, saying it would foster section business and let intoxicant to beryllium served pinch brunch. She asked that nan measurement beryllium changed to besides let liquor stores to unfastened earlier than noon connected Sundays. 

“Changing package shop hours connected Sundays from to 10 a.m., for illustration they do passim nan authorities and arsenic different licensees tin do successful our community,” Villamedes suggested. 

The ordinance was amended: Liquor stores tin now unfastened astatine 10 a.m. connected Sunday.  The Assembly approved nan measurement by a 10 to 1 vote, pinch Anna Brawley opposed.