Hosts of Loud Parties May Pay If Police Called

In an effort to recover the costs of policing boisterous parties--and possibly improving the manners of party-goers generally--the Hermosa Beach City Council has adopted a measure calling for party-givers to foot the bill.

“Loud or unruly assemblages” can be a “threat to the public peace, health, safety or general welfare,” the new ordinance says, and the council wants the those hosting parties to prevent such events from occurring.

When officers are called to dampen party spirits, the people in charge of the premises will be given a written warning or may be billed for the costs of the police response if more than a routine effort is required.

Any return visits from the police will be deemed extra services, the ordinance says, and the costs, including any damages to city property or injuries to officers, will be billed to the hosts.

Officials said the cost for the host or hostess--or for the parents or guardians in the case of minors--could range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The ordinance, adopted unanimously by the council Tuesday night, becomes effective in 30 days.

“We get a lot of calls, particularly during the warm summer months, and sometimes the officers have to go back two or three or even four times,” Public Safety Director Steve Wisniewski said in an interview. He had no specific figures, but he estimated that police have to make a second stop at one to five parties a week.

Wisniewski said the approach has been discussed for several years at meetings of police chiefs and council members.

“We called around to cities that have used it, and they said it really worked. . . . When you put people on notice, it does have a deterrent effect,” he said.

Hermosa Beach City Manager Kevin Northcraft noted that the city has a large number of single residents. “That, along with our high density, probably gives us more wild-party calls than some other cities,” he said.

At least four other cities in the Los Angeles area--Palos Verdes Estates, Fullerton, La Palma and San Fernando--have adopted similar ordinances.

Lt. Ed Jaakola, a spokesman for the Palos Verdes Estates police, said that city’s measure was adopted about a year ago. He said it has reduced by 50% the number of unruly parties that require police visits.

“It has been very effective,” he said. “People usually take it seriously when they get a police warning that any further problems could cost them money.”

Drunk Driver Fees

Under another ordinance introduced at the Hermosa Beach council meeting this week, drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs also would have to pay police expenses if officers are obliged to deal with them on the city’s streets.

However, the proposed measure, based on a state law passed several years ago, may face challenges when it comes up for adoption at a Feb. 14 council meeting, a city official said.

The American Civil Liberties Union, for example, argues that levying charges before a court verdict deprives the suspect of the presumption of innocence, the official said.

In another matter related to community manners and morals, two councilwomen blocked, at least temporarily, the sale and rental of sexually oriented video tapes on Hermosa Avenue.

Mayor Pro Tem June Williams said the city already has at least four establishments on Pacific Coast Highway that handle such videos, which she said “don’t promote family values.” Several in the audience agreed, saying such material undermines morals and develops unhealthy views of sex.

“Even if your decision is overturned (by the courts), I think you should stick to your guns and not submit to this,” one man said.

One woman attending the meeting argued that adults have a constitutional right to watch whatever videos they like. City Atty. James P. Lough also cautioned that the city might be sued on constitutional grounds if it ordered an outright ban on adult videos in a commercial area.

He said conditions could be legally imposed, such as restricting a video store’s adult films to 20% of its total business and requiring a separate section for stocking them.

Williams was joined by Councilwoman Etta Simpson in opposing a special-use permit for Hermosa Video, while Mayor Jim Rosenberger and Councilman Roger Creighton voted in favor of the application. The tie vote, with Councilman Chuck Sheldon absent, stalled further action until the Feb. 14 meeting.