Santa Monica unanimously approves ordinance allowing open container alcoholic beverages

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- You'll soon be able to walk through a part of Santa Monica with an alcoholic beverage in your hand.

Following a six-hour meeting that went into the night Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the open container ordinance.

It will allow people to walk along the 3rd Street Promenade, between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway, with alcoholic beverages in hand. People will be able to purchase the beverages at businesses along the promenade, then carry those drinks in approved to-go cups that are not glass or metal.

The three-block zone will be known as the "Outdoor Entertainment Zone," with the goal of increasing foot traffic and boosting business for shops in the area.

According to the City Council, the Entertainment Zone will begin with a soft rollout with initial hours on Friday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. According to the ordinance, that window carries the possibility of extending up to 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

"I want to express my strong support, yet again, for the intention behind the entertainment zone - revitalizing our downtown core. I think we all need to stay focused on what we're trying to do here," Vice Mayor Caroline Torisis said during the meeting. "We're trying to revitalize the downtown core, support our small businesses and we're trying to bring fun and joy and vibrancy back to the promenade."

However, the community has mixed feelings about the decision.

"There aren't enough security or enough staff members to protect our buildings," said John Alle, co-founder of the Santa Monica Coalition. "My building is boarded up, part of it because storefronts are smashed and are empty.. It's unsafe."

Participating businesses will be required to check IDs and provide customers with an official city-provided wrist band that they must wear while consuming the drink outdoors.

The ordinance is expected to take effect in June.

The city plans to monitor the new program and after six months will conduct a review and share the results of the public.