The uber-rich in California are different than you and I.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has seen to that.

Newsom, who has been known to feast on appetizers at the swanky French Laundry restaurant in Napa that cost more than to feed a family of six at Applebee’s, signed a law carving out an exception for the extremely well-heeled when it comes to boozing it up.

Thanks to Newsom — who has a less than stellar performance in guiding the state’s ability to deal with pressing issues such as the homeless — those that rub elbows with folks like Kim Kardashian and former Microsoft CEO founder Steve Ballmer will be able to order drinks up to 4 a.m. at the new Los Angeles Clippers arena.

That is, of course, if the City of Inglewood plays along with Newsom’s accommodation of the super-rich.

The legislation Newsom signed carves out an exception to state alcohol laws that prohibit the sale of any beer, liquor, or wine between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

The exception is for about 100 club members of a private club at the Intuit Dome to be able to buy alcohol until 4 a.m.

Backers of the exception to the last alcohol call rule, argue it will boost the local economy and attract more visitors to the arena.

Gee, wouldn’t an NBA championship season by the Clippers or a Taylor Swift concert do that?

Charging the masses $100 plus a ticket and $8 for a soda apparently isn’t good enough economic stimulation for the rich that profiteer off professional sports and arena events.

They need to attract the super-rich that apparently won’t party in Inglewood unless they can slam back tequila shots until 4 a.m.

If this is all about boosting struggling local economies, then wouldn’t there be more dollar impact of a mom and pop bar in Delano being able to sell a round or two after 2 a.m.?

Clearly, a few more drink sales for such a place in Delano would have a proportionately higher impact on the bottom-line.

In fairness io Newsom, he may not be familiar with the Kern County community of 51,000 deep in the San Joaquin Valley’s most productive farm region.

It is doubtful the local Radio Shack owner, it were still in business, would have made a $220,000 campaign contribution to Newsom as Ballmer did.

Nor is Delano Newsom’s kind of grape growing region.

And the Taqueria Tampico serves good food but it’s no French Laundry.

One might wonder what does Delano have to do with Newsom doing his job a governor in deciding whether legislation that is passed by the California Legislature is signed into law.

Newsom, in the same week he granted a wish for the uber-rich to get an exception to state drinking laws, vetoed another bill.

It was one by State Sen. Dave Cortese from San Jose.

In a nutshell, the Cortese bill streamlined a farmworker’s ability to access the state worker’s compensation system.

You know farmworkers.

They’re the ones doing the grunt work in the fields that are an essential part of California being the nation’s largest food producing state.

They also live paycheck-to-paycheck.

Specifically, it would automatically assume if a farmworker has a heat-related injury while working that the cause of it was their job.

Just so you understand what the workplace is like for almost all farmworkers, it is doing manual physical labor in the triple-digit heat wave we’re now enjoying.

Newsom conceded it was hot out there in the fields adding climate change is causing an increase in higher temperatures.

The governor said farmworkers need strong protection.

But assuming heat-related ailments are job related?

That, according to Newsom, is “not an effective way” of accomplishing the goal of protecting farmworkers.

Huh?

Protecting the health and welfare of farmworkers is exactly what the ability to access workers compensation in a reasonable, timely manner does.

Given farmworkers toil in the heat of the day, perhaps Newsom believes they could easily become ill with heat-related ailments in their down time working on their tan at poolside.

Newsom stresses the booze serving exemption is an experiment that sunsets in 2030.

If the ability to sell alcohol until 4 a.m. doesn’t work based on CHP accident data apparently traced back to alcohol served in the exclusive club at the Intuit Dome, there would be no clamor to extend the exception.

There’s one California for uber-rich drinkers

& one California for less well-heeled imbibers

All that does is beg the question.

Why try out only an economy boosting exception that is crafted to measure how much more money the super-rich might be induced to pour back into local economies one vodka and gin at a time?

Shouldn’t there be one at a place like Lake Tahoe to see if it spurs middle class alcohol spending in public venues?

And how about one to see if the ability to keep buying drinks past 2 a.m. helps uplift the struggling economy in places like Firebaugh?

There is one other nagging detail that Newsom and those supporting the measure seem to forget.

And it’s nothing to the de facto class warfare being promoted.

California’s alcohol sale and consumption laws are supposedly justified first and foremost for public safety, not to stimulate the economy.

There clearly is a reason why California for decades has banned the sale of alcohol from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.

If it no longer makes sense to do so, then by all means California should go to 24/7 alcohol sales.

Justifying even slightly gutting drinking laws rooted in public safety so someone can pocket more of the almighty dollar is a dangerous precedent.

And why stop at just easing restrictions on the sale of alcohol.

Imagine how many more rich people might buy super expansive suite tickets to Inuit Dome arena if they were allowed to drive home with their unfinished whiskey and coke they ordered at 3:59 a.m.?

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com