Redding City Council to discuss allowing open alcoholic containers at Kool April Nites Cruise

Tomorrow, the Redding City Council will discuss an ordinance allowing open alcoholic containers at this year’s Kool April Nites Cruise. 

The idea was brought up by council member Tenessa Audette at the Feb. 17 meeting, where she made a pitch to designate a portion of Hilltop Drive as an entertainment zone for a few hours on April 24, when the annual cruise will take place. Audette didn’t explain the reasoning behind her idea, and the council engaged in little discussion about its purpose. 

An entertainment zone, as defined by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, is an area designated by the local jurisdiction that allows for alcoholic beverages to be openly carried and consumed. A portion of downtown Redding near the newly-opened Redding Public Market was designated as an entertainment zone last August by the city council, allowing adults 21 and up to openly carry and consume alcoholic beverages from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

Now, a newly-proposed ordinance to create a similar zone for only a few hours on only a single night on Hilltop Drive will appear before the council. A staff report prepared for the council explains that if passed, the entertainment zone — which would extend along Hilltop Drive between Cypress Avenue and the Highway 44 overpass — would only operate on April 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. Similarly to the downtown Redding entertainment zone, participants would be required to carry their alcoholic beverages in a standardized container to easily identify compliant containers. 

However, the staff report lays out potential challenges of the ordinance if adopted. For one, Kool April Nites has historically been an alcohol-free and family-friendly event, so if alcohol is permitted during the cruise, communication will be required with the public to explain the specifics and rules of the zone, staff said.

Staff also pointed out that the entertainment zone is only designated along Hilltop Drive, saying that since the cruise extends beyond Hilltop Drive, they anticipate potential confusion among patrons who think the entire cruise route is included in the entertainment zone. 

Since the ordinance isn’t being brought up until less than two months before the event, staff also expressed time constraint concerns. The short time frame has led to steps getting cut short for staff to fully flesh out the ordinance prior to council review, they said, as well as businesses potentially not having enough time to adhere to alcoholic beverage standards in order to participate, if the ordinance is passed. 

Staff said the Redding Police Department has also indicated that all available officers working at Kool April Nites will be assigned to traffic control, event operations and command post staffing, causing limited availability to proactively enforce the entertainment zone. 

According to the staff report, the ordinance will be discussed by the council at tomorrow’s meeting, when direction will be provided to staff. If approved, the ordinance would come back before the council for a final vote during the next meeting, on March 17. 

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