A famous California beach city has unanimously passed an open container alcohol ordinance, allowing alcoholic beverages to be consumed on public streets. Is this a reasonable move or recipe for disaster?
Santa Monica Approves Open-Container Ordinance For 3rd Street Promenade
In a move aimed at revitalizing its downtown core, the Santa Monica City Council has approved a new open-container ordinance that will allow public consumption of alcohol along a popular pedestrian area. The decision, made on May 14, 2025, designates a portion of the 3rd Street Promenade as an “Outdoor Entertainment Zone” where adults 21 and older may drink alcohol purchased from participating local businesses.
The permitted area will span three blocks, between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway, and require the use of approved non-glass, non-metal to-go cups. Businesses will be responsible for checking IDs and issuing city-provided wristbands to identify patrons who are legally allowed to carry drinks outside.
The program will launch with a soft rollout, initially limited to Fridays through Sundays from 6:00 pm. to 2:00 am. If successful, it may expand to daily hours running from 8:00 am to 2:00 am. The goal, according to city leaders, is to create a more vibrant atmosphere and support economic activity in a retail corridor that has struggled in recent years. ice Mayor Caroline Torosis said:
“We want to bring fun and joy and vibrancy back to the Promenade.”
However, not all community members are on board. John Alle, co-founder of the Santa Monica Coalition, expressed concern that the area already suffers from security issues and property damage and lacks sufficient enforcement resources. The ordinance includes a six-month review period to evaluate its effectiveness and address any unintended consequences.
Why This Might Be A Very Foolish Idea
I find this story interesting because open alcohol is such a non-issue in much of Europe. I remember how you culd drink vritually anywhere (even with glass bottles) when I lived in Frankfurt and how most people did so quite responsibly. And yet here I need only think back to New Orleans to surmise that it probably will not work here…
While the intention behind the ordinance, economic revitalization, is understandable, the decision to allow open alcohol consumption in public spaces raises several red flags from my perspective:
- Public Safety Risks: Open consumption can lead to increased incidents of public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and petty crime. These issues could worsen without a clear enforcement strategy.
- Enforcement Challenges: Expecting businesses to act as ID checkers and wristband enforcers adds operational strain and leaves plenty of room for error or abuse. City resources will be stretched to ensure compliance, especially late at night.
- Resident Disruption: Extending alcohol consumption until 2:00 am on weekends and possibly every day invites late-night noise, loitering, and potentially unpleasant encounters for local residents and families and foreign
- Economic Uncertainty: There’s no guarantee this will significantly boost business. It may simply reallocate existing foot traffic or attract crowds who are more interested in drinking than shopping or dining.
With Santa Monica preparing to host guests attending international competitions in the coming years, including during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics, the city must tread carefully. Turning a once-premier retail and dining destination into a semi-permanent outdoor bar might undermine its long-term image more than it helps short-term revenue…the goal is to welcome tourists, not turn them away.
CONCLUSION
Revitalizing the 3rd Street Promenade is a worthy goal, but pairing it with alcohol-fueled programming may prove more disruptive than beneficial. Speaking as a traveler and Angeleno who loves Santa Monica, I just don’t see this ending well.
New Orleans is not the only place with open container in the US – it just happens to also be a party city. 3 blocks doesn’t seem like much of an issue to me.
Nice clickbait but the analysis doesn’t stand up. New Orleans has permitted public alcohol aka go cups for years. SF has also permitted block parties for years.Neither has seen an increase in violence or other problems.
Rather Santa Monica and the rest of California have suffered the same problem for 4 decades – mentally ill drug addicted zombies roaming the streets. These folks have been hanging out on 3rd street since the 80s and I don’t think they care about open container rules.
You are spot on, San Francisco and New Orleans are famously cities without any major crime problems.
Public drinking is legal in the US more than most people assume. In Texas, where I live now, it’s legal virtually everywhere. When I lived in Santa Monica I regularly took drinks on walks or down to the beach.
Why is the US still so puritanical about alcohol? Even in places with open container prohibitions, they’re selectively enforced, and are often used as grounds for pretextual stops. I say good for Santa Monica. I think everyone will be just fine.
It’s nothing to do with being puritanical. It has everything to do with the chaos that comes from it and the fact that people also reside in these communities. Witness parts of New Orleans, Nashville and Savannah. Compare them to, say, Charleston, which has a much more genteel environment versus vomiting and lewd drunks wreaking havoc. For those that live there it is quite obnoxious. Third St Promenade is already a complete zoo on weekend nights. And it’s not just homeless people as someone said. It is actually a full on zoo – this before the new change goes into effect – add the alcohol outside on the street and it’s going to turn violent and disgusting as well.
Why would it be an issue? Look at some of the best tourist locations in America that allow it.
Nashville
Vegas
Key West
Deadwood
Atlantic City
Portland Maine
South Street Philadelphia
New Orleans
Places the average American goes to enjoy drinks and support the local economy. Sure it’s not for the average “kid lover” that goes to SE Asia. But it’s some of the best places the best country in America offers.
And yes, it’s not what your average reader enjoys but it’s nothing to worry about as long as local law enforcement is ready for it. Oh sh#t, its California, never mind. Get drunk, rob the local CVS for amounts under $950 and meet up with Paul Pelosi, take “something” in your mouth and you are fine.
Damn I miss Aaron….RIP
Tempest in a teapot.
Women have a different take on the all day drinking. As Antwerp pointed out, the vomit and enhanced urination is often a problem. And the smell of 0800 beer is bad enough in airports where people are recovering from different time zones!
“enhanced urination” … never heard that term before … a euphemism for??? …lol
Bossa peeing a lot more. Business in NOLA French Quarter have to hose down the sideways pre-dawn. It’s that bad, and while still illegal to publicly urinate. Cops have bigger problems. It’s a sticky slope. ; )
Wouldn’t you rather say ‘slippery’ slope ? … lol … Sounds ( or smells } like ike gay Paree, when ambulating the streets & alleys … Even worse when the weather heats up …I”d feel sorry for nearby residents trying to sleep in the wee ((wee) hours ! ….
You sound like a typical SoCal NIMBY here…
Is there a reason you specifically think this won’t work in Santa Monica? All of your reasons would apply generally to everywhere and yet there are many cities/regions that have established these areas seemingly successfully in the wake of the pandemic. In the state of Ohio alone there are over 100 of these designated open container areas and it’s not like Ohio has been overrun with 100 Bourbon Streets. Kansas City has had one downtown since 2008 and appears to be fine.
They’ve addressed one issue without addressing another more pressing issue. 3rd St Promenade is a ghost town because the street has been overrun with vagrancy and crime. It’s not because there was some overwhelming need to drink in public. Address the homelessness and business will start to return.