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City staff outlines new state law allowing entertainment zones; commission asks staff to pursue options for downtown events
Summary
Planning staff briefed commissioners on Senate Bill 969, which authorizes municipalities to create entertainment zones where participating businesses may sell approved open‑container alcoholic beverages for consumption within the zone; commissioners asked staff to develop possible downtown maps and consult police.
Planning staff told the commission that California Senate Bill 969, adopted in January 2025, authorizes cities and counties to create by ordinance local "entertainment zones." Within a designated map, participating restaurants and bars may sell approved alcoholic beverages in open containers for consumption inside the mapped zone if the local jurisdiction adopts an ordinance and participating businesses secure the appropriate ABC permits.
Commissioners discussed potential uses for a local entertainment zone, including First Friday events, Feather Fiesta Days and the Salmon Festival. Commissioners and downtown business representatives said a contained zone could allow officers and organizers to manage events while enabling participating restaurants and bars to serve customers for street‑level festivals.
Staff told the commission that implementing an entertainment zone would require a city ordinance, a mapped boundary for the zone, input from the police department on patrol and enforcement, and coordination with ABC’s one‑day permit process for participating establishments. Staff has developed several candidate maps and will continue to consult with police and downtown stakeholders; commissioners asked staff to return with proposed map(s) and an implementation timeline.
Commissioners said the measure could help contain alcohol service to defined festival streets and encourage more downtown events; they also asked staff to assess enforcement needs and whether the ordinance could be in place before the fall Salmon Festival, a schedule staff described as ambitious but potentially feasible.
