Santa Cruz restaurants-turned-nightclubs increase downtown crim...

Relaxed liquor laws written after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake to entice residents downtown might be working too well, as the ease of opening a nightclub helps restaurateurs endure the recession but becomes a burden on police as they try to control the crowds.

[pbj]

Wow, yeah way to go Rotkin. People getting drunk and causing problems is obviously the fault of the businesses. How about applauding the local businesses for coming up with ways to keep people coming into town on weekends, and instead of fining the businesses, fine the people that are causing problems while drunk.

[Stop the real problem]

Quit blaming the bars and night clubs. Downtown always had bars and night clubs for example the Catalist. The culture has changed, you put low income housing i.e illegal families around the area and the crime rate rises. The parents do not know where their kids are and the kids have nothing better to do but get drunk and look for trouble. Get real Santa Cruz and face the real facts and quit being so PC about real life. I know you don't want to believe this, but stick you head out of the sand and take a look around the real world.

[John]

My name is John. And I use only one name.

[SV-SC]

Stop the real problem wrote:

Quit blaming the bars and night clubs. Downtown always had bars and night clubs for example the Catalist. The culture has changed, you put low income housing i.e illegal families around the area and the crime rate rises. The parents do not know where their kids are and the kids have nothing better to do but get drunk and look for trouble. Get real Santa Cruz and face the real facts and quit being so PC about real life. I know you don't want to believe this, but stick you head out of the sand and take a look around the real world.

Get a clue yourself. The amount of bars downtown has increased tremendously. More bars, more drunks, more fights, etc., etc. And yes, the CatalYst has been around for a long time. I guess you haven't.

And on another topic - Chip? The downtown association director goes only by "Chip". You've got to be kidding me.

[Ghost of Tom Scribner]

"That, said city leaders, has inspired the city to take a closer look at rules governing nightclubs, restaurants and bars as part of their crackdown on Santa Cruz violence following a stabbing death, double shooting and rape downtown and on the Westside last month."

Blame the business owners!! there you go!! Now let's see, Tyler Tenorio--the kid who got stabbed to death, and all his friends are in high school. One of the accused stabbers is 19. Not old enough to get into ANY bar, and not anywhere near a bar when the attack occurred. the elderly lady who got tied up and raped? Wasn't she at home when this occurred? Or was she out gallivanting in a downtown bar and got followed home by the rapist? Puh-leeeze!! I am sure the nightclub customers have contributed to their share of fights and other incidents downtown at night. Haven't they always? there's always at least one brawl at the Catalyst on any weekend. Have the numbers of incidents doubled or tripled for some reason? I'd hate to see the restaurants go out of business. The economy is bad enough without more empty storefronts. How about all the dirtbags, drifters and loiterers downtown? They don't even contribute to the economy by patronizing the restaurants the city is blaming for the problems!! Why doesn't the City admit the REAL problem and tackle it. Stop wasting money coddling the leeches of society. One of these very leeches just killed two people while driving drunk on Hwy 1 by Davenport. With previous DUI convictions and convictions for theft, she lives for free at the Coral St Shelter. And now she's facing a life of free housing, food and medical care in the prison system, that the taxpayers will again pay for.

[Tippsssseeee]

Be shurrrrre tooo weaaar yooourrr duh-rinnking helmetssss!(HIC) urpp.

[Very sad]

Most of us came to live in Santa Cruz from other parts of the state or county. Most of us moved here because we fell in LOVE with the landscape, the people, the way of life, surfing, sailing, ocean life, parks, frindly people, and a little wackiness a community of real Aloha as our island friends say. What has happened to our city, surrounding towns, and the entire county? It has run amuck with crime. I used to walk the streets at night with all my friends coming home from dinner or a few cocktails at a local place, but no more. I am a parent and when my kids go out at night I never go to sleep until I know they are home safe. What has Santa Cruz become? another town in California that is becoming a slum city. Why oh why? This makes me so sad.

[Tone]

I think the SCPD are doing the best with what they have. I was at the light @Laurel and Pacific today waiting for it to change and a young officer on foot was on the corner in front of Taco Bell watching these three questionable people across the street in front of Saturn Cafe goofing off.I watched and the officer had a bead on these guys. Police presence is what is needed to keep these people moving along. Get tough SCPD! Keep it up.

[Soto Meyer]

Earth to ground control we have a City Official that goes by one name..........yikes..........c ould it not at least be something with more pizzazz like Marx or Madrigal or Moonchild or Boodahbud or NorseCorral or shitforbrains or Asleepatthewheel or stocktonbythesea..........

[David]

I thought for sure that they were going to blame the knife stores for the violence.

I swear that I saw or heard that knives were involved somewhere. Maybe it is the manufacturers of the knives. That's the ticket, the knife manufacturers. They are truly the bad guys.

what other businesses can we blame. After all, it has to be the evil, horrible businesses. you know, the ones that rob, steal, cheat people out of their money. None of them are any good. I wish that we could get rid of all of them. Oh, yes I forgot, Obama is already doing that. I forgot.

Bring on health care and sick day pay days. The Democrats just think of everything.

But, wait. I heard there was some kind of election back in Virginia and New Jersey. Nah, those little things do not matter. Just ask Nancy P. if you do not believe me. She says that everything is great. how many more weeks left in my unemployment ? I love having a Democrat as President. It makes me feel so good.

[ben cartwright]

a##holes increase crime , not the late night buisenesses

[Skeptical]

"Alcohol is the fuel for the vast majority of problems we're having," Rotkin said. "This is hard ball. They're going to either stop doing that or they're going to start paying new fees. We're not going to look the other way."

No, Mr. Rotkin, the fuel for all of this has to do with gangs and drugs. Perhaps you can come out of your self imposed Nirvana once in awhile and take a look at what is really happening. You want to play hard ball take your big ol' bat and start knocking some of these people upside the head until they learn that this city won't put up with gang activity, stabbings and shootings.

You and your city council are a joke. A laughing stock for the whole area to witness. If your goal is to become a designer Salinas you are well on your way. Good luck with getting all of that tourist traffic into town when the word gets out as to what is really going on here.

[Dano]

COME ON ..the city sanctuary policies and over abundance of low income housing that attracts primarily illegals is a MAJOR factor in the increase in crime....and I'm was a frequent patron of the Catalyst as far back as 1976.

[Blame it Rio]

Blame the bars and night clubs such an easy way out. Lets look at the homeless shelter on the north end and we can all agree total fing loosers, and the gang housing on the south end total fing loosers. Do the math city council you PC blaming everyone else execpt the real issue.

[Chip the dip]

I wish that I could go by one name so when I mess up on my job no buddy knows it's me. Chip looks like a dip and is doing a crapy job. Cash in your chips Chip

[counterstrike]

Seems to me that the answer was right there in the article. Close every booze joint in downtown Santa Cruz.......

and send the night owls right over to downtown Watsonville.

[Chip WithNoLastName]

We definitely need some new downtown ordinances.

Paging Ryan Coonerty.....

[Aptosian]

Very sad wrote:

Most of us came to live in Santa Cruz from other parts of the state or county. Most of us moved here because we fell in LOVE with the landscape, the people, the way of life, surfing, sailing, ocean life, parks, frindly people, and a little wackiness a community of real Aloha as our island friends say. What has happened to our city, surrounding towns, and the entire county? It has run amuck with crime. I used to walk the streets at night with all my friends coming home from dinner or a few cocktails at a local place, but no more. I am a parent and when my kids go out at night I never go to sleep until I know they are home safe. What has Santa Cruz become? another town in California that is becoming a slum city. Why oh why? This makes me so sad.

Plenty of us have lived here our whole lives and have family going back many generations in Santa Cruz. I'll let you in on a little secret, your made up image of Santa Cruz is all wrong! Aloha is in Hawaii... we don't need to take that from them too do we? You have no idea how much crime was going on here in the 70s! There was plenty of dangerous drug fiends running around here in the 80s when I was a teenager and my mom couldn't go to sleep until I was home safe.
The gang problem is a "newer" problem and needs to be taken care of. Just don't go around thinking that Santa Cruz was ever a "safe" place, that was just something your realtor told you.

[trisha0790]

Hey Chip, do you know Prince?

I moved to Santa Cruz in '83 before the earthquake and at 6:00 they literally rolled up the sidewalks downtown. There was the Catalyst and Tampico across the street, there was the Acapulco down a little ways and then there was NOTHING open until you got to Lulu's (when it was a bar) at the end of the Mall. That's all...and aside from an occasional rowdy customer there were no problems.
Fast forward 25 years later, Chipper, and tell us the problem is the bars...oh, pleeeeeeze!

[Go home]

Aptosian wrote:

<quoted text>
Plenty of us have lived here our whole lives and have family going back many generations in Santa Cruz. I'll let you in on a little secret, your made up image of Santa Cruz is all wrong! Aloha is in Hawaii... we don't need to take that from them too do we? You have no idea how much crime was going on here in the 70s! There was plenty of dangerous drug fiends running around here in the 80s when I was a teenager and my mom couldn't go to sleep until I was home safe.
The gang problem is a "newer" problem and needs to be taken care of. Just don't go around thinking that Santa Cruz was ever a "safe" place, that was just something your realtor told you.

Dip Shit, I grew up here in the 70's and graduated from Aptos high in 1979. so my fing realitor didn't tell me shit. Santa Cruz was a surfing town and thats what we lived. We used to cruise the boardwalk on Saturday night with hundreds of other cars and nothing ever happened. Thats when crusing was leagal. You and you mama must have lived in a low income housing and thats all you know, the rest of us made something of our selves and don't blame anyone. I see you are a loser and living in who knows what. Again Aloha. My father is a Hawaiian that was in the Navy so do not tell me about the Aloha spirit as I was born on Maui and now live here in Santa Cruz.