SaMo Trying to Clamp Down on Rowdy Main Street Party Scene

Many Westsiders know what a nightmare Santa Monica's Main Street is at night--picture Hollywood and Vine inhabited by inebriated, shrieking UCLA and Loyola students instead of bridge-and-tunnels pretending to be rich. Main Street has become such a rowdy party scene--busiest it's been in 15 years, apparently--that locals are bombarding city hall with complaints and begging for action, the Santa Monica Patch reports. The noise and nuisance gripes don't seem completely unfounded as the city manager released a report last month that found "restaurants exceeded their occupancy levels, bartenders over-served intoxicated patrons, some of whom were caught littering, jaywalking and urinating in public. Sometimes, 'last-call' extended past the 2 a.m. curfew." The city added cops and moved taxi zones to prevent loitering and congestion. Now the city is considering zoning regulations that could tighten restrictions on the restaurants that seemingly turn into Studio 54 after 10 pm. One overzealous local asked City Hall to ban all "outdoor speech." It is the People's Republic of Santa Monica, after all.
· Main Street's Nighttime Popularity not so Popular With Neighbors [Santa Monica Patch]