Santa Monica approves open alcohol on Third Street Promenade
Entertainment zone hours limited to weekends, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Program aims to revitalize downtown area and boost economic activity.
Santa Monica's City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Tuesday allowing the public to carry and consume alcoholic beverages on the Third Street Promenade, with modifications.
The ordinance creates an "entertainment zone" across three downtown blocks between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, allowing patrons to consume alcohol bought at Promenade businesses out on the street. Patrons will be given branded wristbands and custom cups, but cannot bring outside alcoholic drinks to the Promenade, nor can they enter shops with their beverages.
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At a previous council meeting, the program was proposed to run seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. At Tuesday's meeting, the council voted to reduce the program to Friday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. as the program is rolled out, with plans to expand to seven days as early as possible. On the Promenade, 13 businesses have alcohol licenses, with the earliest opening at 9 a.m.
'Slow and steady wins the race, my mother always told me,' Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said during the council meeting. 'I'm not always slow and steady, but I think in this case we can always add to it. It'll be a little bit harder to pull back if it goes totally wrong.'
The council was discussing the matter from 11 p.m. on Tuesday past midnight Wednesday.
Entertainment zone hours reduced to avoid police overtime costs
During the meeting, Santa Monica Planning Manager Jing Yeo provided an updated report on the proposed entertainment zone, offering information on the plans and answering council questions.
Two Santa Monica police officers are staffed on the Promenade from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and four are staffed on-site from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. Expanding the entertainment zone hours would require the city to add dedicated officers to the streets around the Promenade, which would amount to additional overtime pay of more than $650,000, Yeo said.
Downtown Santa Monica Inc.'s private security through Legion will also provide staff to the area during entertainment zone hours.
Rolling the program out Friday through Sunday will bypass major overtime costs, Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Torosis said during the meeting.
'Our promenade is a cultural and economic hub, but it's struggled with storefront vacancies, decreased foot traffic and loss of vibrancy,' Torosis said. 'This proposal is an opportunity to reimagine our public spaces and provide a platform for recovery. We need to move beyond the false choice that it's either about safety or economic vitality.'
The council will have the ability to expand the hours for events as needed, such as for June's Pride on the Promenade event on June 21.
The city's police department plans to reassess the program every 90 days. There have been five alcohol-related public incidents year-to-date at the Promenade, all related to unhoused individuals, said Santa Monica Police Lieutenant Brian Gradle. Police will monitor incidents related to alcohol during entertainment zone hours, allowing the council to determine whether the program is having a negative impact on the community.
Public comments ahead of vote range in support
The Santa Monica City Council has been engaging with the community to create the entertainment zone downtown. Public comment at the May 13 meeting ranged from supportive to outraged, with negative comments focusing on noise pollution and crime.
'It's a very stupid idea.' one community commentator said to the council. 'Who thought of this great idea? A 12-year-old?'
Former Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis approached the council as a member of the community during the public comment segment. Davis encouraged the program, recommending the council work with DTSM Inc. and CEO Andrew Thomas.
'This really is kind of easy,' Davis said. 'Over 100 cities in the U.S. already do this. They're not overridden with crime, they're not overridden with drunks, they're not overridden with people driving under the influence. What they're enjoying is an economic boom.
'Please don't overthink this. Set yourself up for success. This is something I think will really rejuvenate the Promenade and our downtown.'
Thomas of DTSM Inc. followed Davis at the meeting, adding that DTSM Inc. fully supports a seven-day entertainment zone.
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