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CC - ACTION ITEM: Consideration of an Entertainment Zone for Downtown Culver City and Provide Direction to the City Manager’s Office as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: October 13, 2025
Contact Person/Dept: Luis Gonzalez, Economic Development Project Manager
Phone Number: (310) 253-5767
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: GovDelivery (9/29/2025); Downtown Culver City Business Association (9/29/2025); Meetings and Agendas - City Council (10/08/2025)
Department Approval: Jesse Mays, Assistant City Manager (10/01/2025)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council consider an entertainment zone for Downtown Culver City and provide direction to the City Manager’s Office as deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND
On March 3, 2025, the Downtown Culver City Business Association (DBA) requested that the City Council consider designating Downtown Culver City as an entertainment zone to incentivize visitation to Downtown, support existing events and boost economic activity. The City Council provided consensus to consider the item at a future meeting.
Senate Bill 969 permits California cities to designate entertainment zones, defined as specific areas in which licensed establishments may sell alcoholic beverages to patrons who may then roam freely within these zones during consumption.
On September 26, 2025, staff presented the entertainment zone to the Economic Development Subcommittee to get feedback regarding the proposed boundaries and objectives of the zone. The Economic Development Subcommittee supported the concept of designating an entertainment zone.
DISCUSSION
The proposed downtown entertainment zone would include the entire Downtown Culver City Business Improvement District (Attachment 1). These boundaries are generally defined as Culver Boulevard between Madison Avenue and Venice Boulevard and Washington Boulevard between Hughes Avenue and Culver Boulevard and would be inclusive of side streets to the City boundary including Main Street, Cardiff Avenue and Watseka Avenue. The DBA is also requesting the proposed zone would include Town Plaza, The Culver Steps and Main Street where many special events are hosted throughout the year. The program would be available to current brick-and-mortar businesses with a current Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) license.
The DBA purports that an entertainment zone designation could benefit current visitor experiences including the Summer Concert Series, Independence Day Drone Show, Pride Ride & Festival, Third Wednesdays, Tree Lighting Sled-tacular and Love Local programming as well as enhance upcoming regional events such as the FIFA World Cup, Superbowl, and 2028 Olympics. The program would require a restriction on glass and non-compostable containers as well as age verification wrist bands.
Additionally, the proposed entertainment zone has support from local businesses within the Downtown Culver City / proposed boundary (Attachment 2). Participating businesses would be responsible to ensure appropriate identification verification and serve patrons responsibly.
Several other jurisdictions have created entertainment zones to promote their commercial districts:
City of Santa Monica
• Location(s): Third Street Promenade
• Activated: Friday to Sunday,11 AM - 10 PM
City of Long Beach
• Location(s): Downtown area
• Activated: Special events only
City of Tehachapi
• Location(s): Downtown area
• Activated: Special events only
City of San Francisco
• Location(s): Annie Plaza, Arena, Castro, Cole Valley, Folsom Street, Front Street, Harlan Place & Mark Lane, Jessie Alleys, Mid Market, Valencia Street
• Activated: Special events only except Valencia Street Zone, activated daily from 12 PM - 11:59 PM
Many of the jurisdictions above have noted that there is increased engagement in community events with an active entertainment zone.
If the City wished to designate an entertainment zone, the City Council must adopt an ordinance that clearly defines geographical boundaries of the entertainment zone; provides the hours during which the entertainment zone may be activated, and specifies the dates and/or events that would be allowed to make use of an entertainment zone.
The City Council would be required to review and update the ordinance every two years, relative to current dates and times.
Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) § 13.03.025 generally prohibits the consumption of beer, wine or alcoholic beverage while on any street, sidewalk, alley, highway, public playground or public park. Section 13.02.025 allows the City Council to authorize the consumption of beer and wine at Veterans Park, or on any street, sidewalk, alley or highway that has been closed for a City produced or City-sponsored event with the issuance of an Administrative Use Permit. An amendment to Section 13.03.025 would be required to allow for service and consumption of beer and wine in Town Plaza.
A comprehensive Management Plan would need to be developed in order to successfully implement an effective and safe entertainment zone. The Plan would include operational guidelines for participating businesses, security protocols, frequency of activations, hours of operation, sanitation measures, potential street closure requirements, the identification of approved non-glass and non-metal containers, and methods for age verification. An inter-departmental team and the DBA that would develop and propose guidelines for the successful operation of an entertainment zone and activations would follow the same basic operation and programming as currently approved Downtown Culver City events.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The development of an entertainment zone would require City resources to update existing codes as well as for the development and implementation of a Management Plan.
If the City Council would like to consider and/or establish an entertainment zone, costs associated with the zone activation and staffing would need to be borne by the event organizers and/or sponsored by the City. Projected associated costs with activation of Entertainment Zone are attached (Attachment 3).
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025-10-13_ATT 1_Map of Downtown Culver City Boundary
2. 2025-10-13_ATT 2_Letters of Support
3. 2025-10-13_ATT 3_Entertainment Zone
MOTIONS
That the City Council:
1. Consider an entertainment zone for Downtown Culver City and provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate.