Santa Monica : Cover Charges Allowed
Bars and restaurants on Main Street will be permitted to charge their customers cover fees for dancing under a Santa Monica law that takes effect Friday.
The law, passed by the City Council on Dec. 10, amended the city’s municipal code that has regulated public dance halls on Main Street since the 1940s, when city officials considered them undesirable.
Owners of some bars and restaurants on Main Street have said that charging cover fees will help them control drug dealers who repeatedly enter the businesses on nights when dancing is offered. Other owners, however, claim that charging a cover would not eliminate drug sales in or near their establishments.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
