LOS ANGELES (CNS) — The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-0 Wednesday to expand the Restaurant Beverage Program to include businesses in downtown and portions of northeast LA.

The council adopted the RBP ordinance in February 2022 and it went into effect the following month. Council members designate specific geographic areas to activate the ordinance, allowing eligible businesses to participate in the program, which allows eligible sit-down restaurants to serve alcoholic beverages without obtaining a conditional-use permit.

Council members Nithya Raman and Kevin de León were absent during the vote, arriving to Wednesday's council meeting later.

De León introduced the motion to include restaurants in downtown LA back in April in an effort to give a boost to the restaurant and hospitality industry, which continues to face financial hardship due the coronavirus pandemic.

"Alcohol service provides a substation portion of restaurants' revenue and often make or break their viability as a business, however, restaurants with alcohol sales must meet both state and local regulations for serving alcohol," the motion reads.

"The RBP will offer an administrative clearance process to allow the sale of alcohol in sit-down restaurants with an operating kitchen and a full menu," the motion continues. "This in-turn will provide long-term financial incentives as it will bolster the opening of new restaurants, enable the hiring of new employees and create more vibrant neighborhoods."

The board of directors of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council previously voted to support the motion. Members of the neighborhood council filed a community impact statement, in which they noted "many businesses were unable to recover (from the pandemic), but those who have often relied on the sale of alcohol to help increase sales and profit margins."

"The introduction of the RBP downtown would reduce the cost and time required to open small new restaurants and all for a more equitable process for small businesses that struggle with financial burdens when applying for CUB (Special Instructions for Alcohol & Entertainment) licenses from the city," the statement reads. "To this day, many of our small businesses are struggling, and the introduction of the RBP would greatly help recovery efforts."