City Beefs Up Drinking on the Beach Laws

The Hermosa Beach City Council voted to ban open containers of alcohol from the upcoming Sunset Summer concert series, saying this was a step toward enforcing strict alcohol consumption laws throughout the city.

The city should begin reining drinking behavior on the beach, Mayor Michael DiVirgilio said before suggesting that the council should also discuss how to regulate drinking at future Ironman events.

"It's a lot more significant to stop this thing than it appears," he said.

The Ironman is an annual 4th of July triathlon in which participants run a mile, paddle a surfboard and then chug a six-pack of their favorite beer.

"Ironman is where we allowed [drinking on the beach] when it's not allowed," DiVirgilio said.

After receiving the Parks and Recreation Commission's recommendation to ban alcohol on the beach at the Sunset Summer concert series, council members discussed how to creatively remind the public of drinking laws.

In days leading up to the series, residents could be handed "mock citations that say, 'here's a $500 fine for drinking on the beach' for example," suggested Councilman Jeff Duclos. "We need to be imaginative in terms of getting the message out to people."

Passing out pamphlets and information cards that explain to residents why drinking is not permitted serves as the most efficient way to educate the public, said Mayor Pro Tem Peter Tucker. He added that a more stringent approach should be taken at the Ironman.

"Since I've been on the council before, we always dance around the biggest event, which is the Ironman," Tucker said. "We've never wanted to bite the bullet and ring that in and we're going to have to plan to just do it."

The dates of this year's Sunset Summer concerts are Aug. 22 and 29 and Sept. 12 and 26.