Huntington Beach Bans Skateboarding Downtown : Ordinance: The measure, which applies to all commercial areas, passes on a unanimous vote. Some riders vow that that won’t stop them.

The City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday banning skateboarding in commercial areas of the city.

The vote came after months of complaints from downtown shop owners and from pedestrians who said skateboard riders on busy sidewalks pose a hazard.

The ordinance, which allows police officers to issue citations to skateboarders, prohibits skateboarding in commercial areas, including downtown areas. Skateboard riding is restricted to residential areas of the city.

About 100 people crammed into the council chambers Monday night, among them dozens of skateboarders who spoke against the measure.

Before the vote, Councilman Jack Kelly lectured the skateboarders on what he characterized as their unruly behavior on the streets.

“It’s awfully tough to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys,” Kelly said. “You’ve left us no alternative but to put a bandage on your freedom. You’ve got to start looking at yourselves, gang.”

But some skateboarders there vowed that the new ordinance would not dissuade them from scooting through business areas or any other place in the city.

“We’re still going to skate no matter what,” skateboard enthusiast Travis Colt declared. “It’s our life . . . (it’s) all we have to do for fun.”

The situation intensified in late March after three skateboarders were arrested on suspicion of splashing red-paint graffiti on the city’s new parking garage, causing $5,000 in damage. Before the arrests were made, police had theorized that the vandalism was linked to skateboarders’ anger over the crackdown.

In a memo to the council, Police Chief Ronald E. Lowenberg wrote that the previous city code requiring a specific citizen complaint about skateboarding hindered police efforts to control skateboarding on downtown streets.