Is a sigh of relief in order? The Chronicle’s Marisa Lagos wrote a follow-up today to her eye-opening piece in Saturday’s paper that examined the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s seemingly arbitrary use of its expansive power in challenging the liquor licenses of some of the City’s most established and well-regarded clubs, including Bottom of the Hill, the Great American Music Hall and Cafe Du Nord (and as we learned via a comment on our post, the DNA Lounge as well).

State Sen. Mark Leno and Alcoholic and Beverage Control chief Steve Hardy met on Monday to discuss the ABC’s efforts, and Lagos reports that Hardy “made a commitment to working toward a resolution” with legislators and local business owners:

“It was a positive meeting,” said Leno, D-San Francisco. “(Hardy) came out wanting to work with me … and said he is anything but interested in seeing businesses close.”

Leno said Hardy acknowledged that ABC officials currently have broad leeway in interpreting licensing requirements. The two men discussed writing legislation that would clarify the requirements for these kinds of businesses or possibly create a new type of license.

Read the full article for more details. It’s definitely too early to consider this resolved, but it’s encouraging to see things moving in a positive direction. (Hat tip: @ipickmynose)