Earlier this month, the city of Santa Monica announced plans to turn the beleaguered Third Street Promenade into a so-called “entertainment zone,” where visitors 21 and older can consume alcoholic beverages out in the open air, unconfined. Much like, say, Las Vegas or New Orleans, well-behaved drinkers who stick to the public promenade during designated hours can freely walk between businesses or up and down the plaza, adult beverage in hand. It’s widely seen as an effort to revitalize one of California’s most iconic outdoor shopping and dining areas, which has been plagued by retail and restaurant closures over the past several years.
And the Third Street Promenade is not alone.
Santa Monica is just one of the latest California cities to enact an entertainment zone. Prompted by Senate Bill 969 — which went into effect on Jan. 1 of this year and permits consumers to leave the premises of a beer manufacturer, winegrower or on-sale licensee with open containers of alcoholic beverages in designated areas, usually during special events — multiple cities like San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Jose and Sacramento have either opened entertainment zones or are exploring the option as a way to drive business and stimulate the local economy…