City leaders fleshing out an ordinance to possibly ban liquor in
all city parks have asked for more information on the practices of
nearby cities, the vast majority of which restrict alcohol
consumption through the use of permits and other measures.
Gilroy – City leaders fleshing out an ordinance to possibly ban liquor in all city parks have asked for more information on the practices of nearby cities, the vast majority of which restrict alcohol consumption through the use of permits and other measures.
Currently, Gilroy is the only city in Santa Clara County with no restrictions on alcohol consumption in city parks, according to a survey distributed to Parks and Recreation Commissioners Tuesday night. Under current regulations, residents are allowed to drink alcohol in picnic areas at both Christmas Hill Park and Las Animas Veterans Park, though officials have banned liquor at all of Gilroy’s smaller neighborhood parks.
In recent years, the city and police have received “numerous complaints from parents who felt (Las Animas) park was unsafe” due to alcohol consumption in the picnic areas, Community Services Director Susan Andrade-Wax told commissioners Tuesday night.
“The issues like vandalism center around consumption of alcohol,” she said.
Police are backing the ordinance as a way to crack down on public drinking by gangs and homeless people, especially in Las Animas park. Currently, officers can only arrest people if they are clearly intoxicated.
Andrade-Wax told commissioners that few cities ban alcohol consumption entirely, but that the vast majority use various measures to clamp down on drinking. Those measures include banning liquor at youth events, requiring permits for liquor, prohibiting hard alcohol or only allowing alcohol with meals.
“The problem is not Christmas Hill (Park),” Commissioner Sam Bozzo said. “My feeling is if Las Animas is the problem, let’s zero in on Las Animas and maybe it will change.”
Fellow commissioner Curt Goris suggested that some of the park’s problems may dissipate with the closure of the National Guard Armory, which in the winter months attracts homeless people to the area looking for night-time shelter.
Commissioners, who appeared willing to consider an ordinance focused on Las Animas, asked Andrade-Wax for statistics on police calls related to both parks. They also asked her to provide specific practices from other cities in the area.
The commission, an advisory group to city council, will resume discussion of the ordinance at its Feb. 21 meeting. City council members and Mayor Al Pinheiro have approached the alcohol ordinance with skepticism, arguing that all residents should not be punished for the mistakes of a few.
