Councilmember Ysabel Jurado has introduced a new motion directing city departments to determine if Downtown LA could follow in the steps of Santa Monica, Long Beach and Culver City in establishing its own Entertainment Zones.
Authorized under California Senate Bill 969, Entertainment Zones aim to accelerate economic recovery, safely activate public spaces and provide safeguards for local neighborhoods.
“Downtown Los Angeles is one of the strongest economic and cultural engines of our city, but our local businesses, hospitality workers, restaurants, bars, and cultural corridors are still recovering from years of disruption,” Jurado said in a news release. “This motion asks whether Los Angeles can design Entertainment Zones in a way that is safe, structured, locally controlled, and responsive to community concerns. This is not about creating a free-for-all. It is about exploring whether managed public space activation can support economic recovery while maintaining strong safeguards for residents, workers, visitors, and neighborhoods.”
Signed into law in 2024, SB 969 grants municipalities the local authority to establish designated Entertainment Zones. Santa Monica was the first city in LA County to create an Entertainment Zone at The Third Street Promenade, followed closely by Long Beach in the summer of 2025.
In Entertainment Zones, guests can purchase alcoholic beverages from licensed establishments and consume them outdoors within defined public boundaries.
Jurado’s motion explicitly instructs city departments to analyze the state law, evaluate implementation requirements and deliver actionable recommendations tailored to Downtown.
SB 969 clearly outlines safeguards, including requiring cities to notify and solicit feedback from local law enforcement on the zone’s boundaries, safety measures and hours of operation.
Local stakeholders view the motion as a lifeline for commercial corridors, tourism and the hospitality sector.
“Entertainment Zones will reimagine our city’s business hospitality sector, allowing Los Angeles to create lively and engaging public spaces where families can gather and adults can responsibly support local businesses,” said Miguel Vargas, Executive Director of the Arts District Los Angeles BID. “The economic vibrancy and vitality of Downtown Los Angeles is still struggling to return to prepandemic levels, and our city needs to capitalize on every opportunity to attract more visitors, increase foot traffic and boost spending in local Downtown establishments.”
The motion next heads to the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee before advancing to the full City Council for a final vote.
“The City’s active engagement of Downtown stakeholders to explore this innovative initiative gives hope to our businesses feeling the challenges of economic disruptions,” added Blair Besten, Executive Director of the Historic Core BID. “Establishing policy for Entertainment Zones will help lead economic recovery for Downtown and a brighter future for Council District 14.”
Jurado represents District 14, which includes much of Downtown..
