City Council members unanimously directed staff to develop a more ambitious entertainment zone for the Third Street Promenade this week, rejecting a limited pilot program in favor of a permanent, seven-days-a-week allowance for open container alcohol consumption throughout the area.
“And if we so, if we want to bring our tourists and regional visitors back downtown, I think we need to make it worth our while. We want to have encouraged businesses to stay open later. We want to create more jobs, more revenue. So I’m asking us be bold when it’s appropriate,” said Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Torosis.
The entertainment zone, permitted under California Senate Bill 969 signed by Governor Newsom last September, would allow patrons to purchase alcoholic beverages from licensed establishments and consume them while walking through designated public areas.
Under the proposed program, businesses within the zone could serve alcohol in non-glass, non-metal containers. Customers over 21 would receive wristbands or other identifiers, and clear signage would mark the boundaries of the zone.
While city staff had initially proposed a one-year pilot program allowing open consumption during a minimum of three special events, councilmembers unanimously pushed for a more expansive approach, requesting a permanent program operating seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
The initial zone is envisioned along the Promenade from Wilshire to Arizona. Several councilmembers suggested the zone could eventually expand beyond the Promenade to include parts of Santa Monica Boulevard between Second and Fourth Streets, where bars like Misfit and Britannia could participate.
“This is a linchpin in our economic opportunity and growth strategy and priority,” said Councilmember Dan Hall. “What is proposed and how the staff report frames the entertainment zone will work, by being event-based, really misses the mark.”
Councilmembers emphasized the zone’s potential to revitalize the downtown area by increasing foot traffic, supporting existing businesses, and attracting new visitors. They stressed that consistency would be key to the program’s success.
“Continuity creates the build-up,” said Councilmember Lana Negrete. “Having those set times is really important, and it also provides calendaring opportunities for businesses who want to be able to project into the future what they’ll be doing.”
Former Mayor Gleam Davis, who helped bring the proposal forward during her time on the council, said during public comment that other cities have successfully implemented similar programs without undue complexity.
“We are not reinventing the wheel here,” Davis said, showing examples from Ohio, Indiana, and Savannah, Georgia. “Let’s get them here to Santa Monica and get them coming back.”
Davis also emphasized the importance of regular activation rather than just a few special events per year.
“If you only do it three times a year, you’re not going to increase foot traffic on the Promenade, you’re not going to promote economic development. You want people not to come here once, but to come here every week,” she said.
Andrew Thomas, representing Downtown Santa Monica Inc., expressed strong support for the entertainment zone as a means to “promote economic development, business and also enrich the event experience.”
Thomas noted that DTSM looks forward to conversations about expanding the scope of the entertainment zone but raised concerns about costs associated with police, fire, and public works staffing during events. He requested that DTSM be allowed to provide as many services as possible through contracted personnel.
Councilmembers echoed concerns over safety costs and were told by the Santa Monica Police Department that staffing would depend on the size and nature activity in the zone, with larger events requiring more security.
Staff will return to the Council with a revised ordinance at their next meeting in May, incorporating the Council’s direction for a permanent, seven-day program covering the entire Third Street Promenade. If approved at that meeting, the ordinance could take effect immediately, potentially allowing the first activation during Pride on the Promenade in June.
“The direction has been pretty clear up here,” said Negrete as the meeting concluded. “Permanent, regular, bigger, broader, better.”
editor@smdp.com
