Glendale City Council set to allow alcohol in city parks, property

Deukmejian Wilderness Park & Barn would be the perfect site for a wedding but for the city’s ban on alcohol there, Councilman Laura Friedman said, recalling a recent visit.

“If we really want to get the wedding business, we need to make sure people should be able to serve drinks,” Friedman said at a City Council meeting this week.

Her colleagues agreed, laying the foundation for amending the rules regarding alcohol on city property next week.

“It’s something that would be a revenue generator at a time when we need revenue,” Friedman said.

The city has been struggling with yawning budget gaps for years and officials have been brainstorming new revenue streams to get new money flowing into City Hall.

Tereza Aleksanian, an executive analyst with the Community Services & Parks department, said city facilities are being enhanced to increase recreational and social opportunities, as well as revenues.

“More and more requests are coming into the department to serve alcohol,” Aleksanian said.

In addition to the beer, wine and champagne discussed this week, some council members said they’d like to look into allowing spirits.

But Councilman Zareh Sinanyan said he’d like to start out with beer and wine and slowly expand if the program proves successful.

Burbank limits alcohol consumption at city facilities to beer and wine only, while Pasadena allows beer, wine and champagne, according to the Glendale city report. Long Beach and Garden Grove permit all types of alcohol.

The proposal, which would allow drinking at Brand Park Tea House & Garden, the Catalina Verdugo Adobe and the Adult Recreation Center, includes significant requirements and restrictions. For example, party planners will have to apply for a permit from the city, pay for one security guard for every 75 people, get a $1-million insurance policy, and limit the time alcohol can be served.

For parks, that would be from 11 a.m. to dusk and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at city buildings, other than the Civic Auditorium. Alcohol could be served at the Civic Center until midnight, under the proposal.

The council is set to take a final vote on the matter on Tuesday night.

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