Ordinance would require a permit for alcohol consumption and
would ban all hard liquor at local parks
A proposal to crack down on booze in Gilroy’s two biggest parks has passed the first round of approval, but city leaders and law enforcement continue to have mixed feelings.
“Our recommendation to the city council will be to require a permit for consumption,” Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Bruce Williams said. “I think it’s going to work and I think it’s going to be something that’s beneficial for the people of Gilroy.”
Current regulations allow residents to drink alcohol in picnic areas at both Christmas Hill Park and Las Animas Veterans Park, but ban liquor at all of Gilroy’s smaller neighborhood parks. Last fall, parks and recreation commissioners began crafting an ordinance to restrict liquor consumption in response to complaints about public intoxication, vandalism and other issues at the two parks.
In addition to requiring a permit for consumption, the proposed ordinance would ban all hard liquor in the parks and at any youth events where a majority of participants are under 21 years of age.
On Tuesday, commissioners gave the nod of approval to the new ordinance in a three to one vote. Commissioner Cat Tucker, the lone dissenter, supported the concept of issuing permits for liquor but wanted to extend the concept to all of the city’s parks. The favorable vote frees staff to fine-tune language in preparation for council review.
If approved, the ordinance would empower police to issue citations to gang members and homeless people, the groups most frequently noted for drinking in the parks. Currently, officers can only arrest people if they are clearly intoxicated.
The ordinance has the backing of Gilroy Police Chief Gregg Giusiana, but there are some within the department who question its value.
Sergeant John Sheedy, who oversees day shifts at the department, said there have been few calls about alcohol-related problems in the parks.
“Will this be another arrow in the quiver? Sure,” he said. “But is it a major problem? Not on my watch.”
In 2005, there were 13 alcohol-related complaints at the two parks, most of them related to public intoxication, according to statistics provided by the police department. Crime analyst Phyllis Ward warned, however, that the numbers don’t capture the whole picture.
Many calls, for instance, could be classified as a noise complaint from a gathering involving alcohol. Also, many people may simply choose to stop going to parks without filing a complaint.
Community Services Director Susan Andrade said she worked closely with police in developing the ordinance.
“The police said they didn’t want (alcohol) banned – just more regulated,” she said. “Right now what they’re seeing out there is not a family barbecue with a bottle of wine. They’re finding people showing up with tequila bottles and getting in fights. Quite honestly we wouldn’t be doing any of this without their approval. There wouldn’t be a point to it without enforcement.”
The proposed ordinance may have a hard time currying favor among council members, who are not eager to see the majority of residents punished for problems caused by a few.
Mayor Al Pinheiro said he would not make a decision until seeing final language for the ordinance, but repeated his concern with any proposal to restrict alcohol.
“There’s still got to be some opportunity in life to enjoy yourself,” he said. “If a family wants to go to the park and have some wine, that should be allowed. Now if that family gets drunk and starts creating problems, that’s when it’s time for police to get involved.”
Even with a permit, the new ordinance would only allow alcohol consumption in Christmas Hill Park and Las Animas Veterans Park between the hours of 10am and 8pm. After those hours, Christmas Hill is gated to prevent access by motorists, while Las Animas remains accessible in the city’s more densely populated north-central area.
They are the only city parks in Santa Clara County that have no alcohol restrictions, according to a survey compiled by Andrade.
