Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Outdoor drinking along Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade? City Council to decide
A previous Pride on the Promenade
(
Courtesy Downtown Santa Monica
)
The Santa Monica City Council is slated to vote Tuesday on whether to allow people on the pedestrianized Third Street Promenade to sip on an alcoholic beverage — en plein air.
The Third Street Promenade could become one of the first “Entertainment Zones” in California outside of San Francisco to allow outdoor consumption of alcohol in public spaces, Las Vegas-style, thanks to a law passed last year.
The idea is to stimulate the local economy and bring more foot traffic to business areas that have seen fewer patrons since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Andrew Thomas, CEO of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., a nonprofit that promotes economic growth, told LAist that Promenade visitors won’t be able to sip on their gin and tonic in the Apple store. But he still thinks the ordinance will be a boost for retail businesses as well.
Support for LAist comes from
“If people look at this as an area where they can come and enjoy themselves, that’ll lead to longer dwell times on the street... and shopping more,” Thomas said.
What the Santa Monica ordinance would do
- Allow consumption of alcoholic beverages on public streets, sidewalks and public rights-of-way on Third Street between Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway.
- Restrict drinking only to booze purchased at licensed Entertainment Zone vendors. No BYOB and no metal or glass containers.
- Prevent people bringing their drinks inside retail businesses or other restaurants on the Promenade. Sorry, no cocktails in the Apple store.
- Allow outdoor consumption in the Entertainment Zone seven days a week, between 8 a.m. - 2 a.m., as long as at least one licensed vendor permitted to sell alcoholic beverages is open during those hours. According to a city report, six businesses that currently have permits advertise hours past 10 p.m. on weekends.
When it could launch
If passed, the ordinance would “take immediate effect” as long as local authorities have the proper signage and safety training for businesses in place, according to a staff report.
The report added that the city anticipates an Entertainment Zone launch event coinciding with Pride on the Promenade on June 21.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning. -
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass suspended a state law allowing duplexes, calling more housing unsafe. But in Altadena, L.A. County leaders say these projects could be key for rebuilding. -
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5425437/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3897+0+0/resize/640x396!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
L.A. County investigators have launched a probe into allegations about Va Lecia Adams Kellum and people she hired at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. -
This measure on the Nov. 4, 2025, California ballot is part of a larger battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.
![A Black woman sits at a dais with a flag in the background. A name placard in front of her reads: Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kell[um].](https://scpr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/45c201e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6298x3894+0+0/resize/786x486!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fscpr-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F76%2F00%2Febed9a7a4fbd9e5ba12997e51d59%2Fgettyimages-1258669633.jpg)
Best of LAist