The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to explore letting people walk around with open alcohol containers in parts of Downtown LA and Hollywood.
Councilmembers Ysabel Jurado and Hugo Soto-Martínez introduced the motion in May to study so-called “entertainment zones” in notoriously violence-prone areas of DTLA, where the overall crime index sits 62% above the national average, according to Doorprofit. The 12-0 vote gives city planners, the LAPD, the City Attorney, and California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control 60 days to report back on whether the plan can work.
The study must examine community-tailored safety measures, operating hours, and enforcement protocols, plus identify specific locations where the zones could operate. Soto-Martínez formally amended the measure during the October 28 meeting to add a directive studying “one or more Entertainment Zones on or near the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
“Downtown Los Angeles is one of the strongest economic and cultural engines of our City, but our local businesses, hospitality workers, restaurants, bars, and cultural corridors are still recovering from years of disruption,” Jurado had said in May when introducing the motion.
She added that the motion “is not about creating a free-for-all.”
“Managed public space activation can support economic recovery while maintaining strong safeguards for residents, workers, visitors, and neighborhoods,” she continued.
The proposal stems from Senate Bill 969, passed in 2024, which lets local governments allow adults to legally buy alcoholic beverages from licensed bars or restaurants and drink them outdoors in specific public zones. If ultimately approved, the zones would mark a major shift in Southern California’s public alcohol regulations, moving toward open-container policies popularized in New Orleans and tested in San Francisco.
Similar entertainment zones already operate in Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade and Culver City, providing local models for what LA might replicate. The Department of City Planning will coordinate the multi-agency review alongside several city departments.
The 60-day timeline means the comprehensive report analyzing feasibility, formal location recommendations, and specific safeguards is expected before the end of the year. Council action would be required to actually establish any zones after the study concludes.
Public drinking has long been restricted across most of California, making the 2024 state legislation a significant departure that Los Angeles would now be among the largest cities to potentially implement. The inclusion of Hollywood alongside Downtown reflects ambitions to activate multiple tourism and nightlife corridors rather than a single district.
The LAPD’s involvement in the study signals that law enforcement concerns will factor into any final design, particularly given Downtown LA’s violent crime challenges. The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s participation ensures state regulatory oversight would shape the local rules.
The council is expected to receive the completed report in December and could then vote on whether to proceed with establishing any entertainment zones.