If you are celebrating on St. Patrick’s Day weekend, you may not feel so lucky if you misbehave.
The City of San Luis Obispo has issued a “Safety Enhancement Zone,” which means if you violate the law, you will be fined double between now and Tuesday morning.
“We will have everyone's safety at the forefront and do the necessary enforcement to keep laws from being violated,” said Christine Wallace, San Luis Obispo Police Department public affairs manager. “If they're violated, folks will be arrested or cited.”
Wallace told KSBY News that their department is teaming up with other agencies in the area throughout the safety enhancement zone period, as fines are now doubled for noise, public urination, unruly gatherings, and having an open container.
She says that arrests will be made for minors who are drinking under the age limit and those who are publically intoxicated.
“Those start right now at $700 and top out at $1,000,” Wallace added. “We also will be most likely enforcing public intoxication and minor in possession. Those are actually misdemeanor arrests.”
James Menno, the general manager at Buffalo Pub & Grill, says they plan to have more staff to accommodate their customers.
“People [who] are causing problems — we don't really like to serve them for obvious reasons, whether that be overly intoxicated or just rowdy or whatever,” said Menno. “We try and mitigate all of that by stopping it at the door.”
Meanwhile, over at Feral Kitchen + Lounge, Toure Curvey, its general manager, says they plan to staff security at their restaurant.
“The college students have done a wonderful job just respecting the space,” said Curvey. “We do have a couple of door guys that are going to be manning the building for security purposes.”
An employee at Idlewild Floral says the celebration should be held away from downtown SLO.
“I think it's really sad that it does impact all the businesses and it's not bringing in a lot of revenue, which is what small-town businesses need,” said Mekayla Martin, Idlewild Floral sales associate.
Erica Hamilton, the co-owner of Blackwater Gift Shop, also has concerns.
“[It’s] kind of is a little slower in the morning on St. Patrick's Day or, say, Fratty's Day,” said Hamilton. “I think people tend to avoid downtown if they're not celebrating. But most of the time, we're just kind of worried about the mess.”
Wallace says San Luis Obispo officials will declare a mass-casualty incident in anticipation of more 911 calls. That will begin at 3 a.m. on Saturday and will allow public safety officials to know which local hospitals have beds available if any injuries occur.
