With the start of the new year, California is now giving cities and counties the green light to create entertainment zones where, among other things, people will be allowed to drink in public.
A number of Bay Area cities are already making plans to create those zones but are looking at a number of issues – both pro and con.
Santa Clara plans to create entertainment zones in its planned new downtown and uptown around Levi’s Stadium.
"We’re going to have an actual entertainment district within an entertainment district for shopping, theaters, art districts, really uses that are going to really transcend with our convention center and our stadium," Mayor Lisa Gillmor said. "There’s going to be a synergy out there."
In a big city like San Jose, which already offers limited outdoor drinking in patio areas, some business owners said they have concerns about public safety with more public drinking. Citizens who said they like coming downtown had mixed feelings, saying so much depends on monitoring the drinking.
"I don’t think it’s good because it’s going to cause conflicts, fights, maybe people getting hurt," Luis Rivera said.
Creating an entertainment zone is expensive, so even though officials have the pieces already in place, they said they don’t plan to proceed until economic factors such as interest rates are more favorable.
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