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Council approves vendors at approved beach events; alcohol remains banned
Summary
Hermosa Beach will allow event-associated vendors on the sand with a per-vendor daily fee of $115 and a discounted rate for local businesses; council voted 4'to—2 to approve staff recommendations while keeping the prohibition on alcohol at beach events.
The Hermosa Beach City Council on Feb. 3 voted 4'to—2 to allow additional vendors to sell prepared food, nonalcoholic beverages and merchandise on the city's beach as part of approved special-event site plans, while retaining a citywide ban on alcohol on the beach.
Parks & Recreation staff proposed code amendments that would let event producers request preapproved vendors for the event footprint and establish a daily per-vendor fee of $115, with discounts available for local Hermosa Beach businesses. Brian Souza, senior recreation supervisor, told council the change would provide "greater vendor flexibility" for producers and was modeled on practices in nearby coastal cities.
Council and staff stressed public-safety and public-access concerns. Chief Phillips said allowing alcohol would require controlled, access-restricted areas and significant security and overtime staffing: "They have private security and officers that are staffed on overtime for those events," he told the council when discussing Manhattan Beach's approach to alcohol at big tournaments. After discussion about pilot programs and access-control measures, the council concluded the staff'recommended approach ' allowing vendors but not changing alcohol rules ' best balances event viability and public safety.
The vote adopted the Parks & Recreation Commission's recommendation to permit vendors at approved special events on the beach and to implement the $115 per-vendor, per-day fee to be invoiced to event producers. The motion carried 4'to—2 (Mayor Pro Tem DeToy voted no).
What this means: Event producers that secure a special-event permit can propose vendor lists in their site plans and will be invoiced for vendor fees. Staff will preapprove vendors and event producers will be responsible for vendor compliance, insurance and enforcement. Any future change to the alcohol ban would require separate council action and detailed public-safety planning.
Representative quote: "This would improve financial viability to enhance and improve event experiences," Brian Souza said of the change.
Details to watch: The staff report cited comparative practices in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach and noted that allowing alcohol would require fencing, ID checks, private security and additional police overtime.
