Lawyer for Spring Break Crowd Blasts Under-21 Ban : Palm Springs Hotel Policy Called Illegal

Along with thousands of other college students, Kevin Askier has for years made Palm Springs his destination over spring break.

And despite a mini-riot there last year, the Fullerton College sophomore has no doubt that he wants to return for the traditional rite of spring in 1987.

But Askier says he checked with more than a dozen hotels and has found that none will reserve rooms for anyone under 21.

“We have just as much a right to be there as anyone else,” said Askier, 20, of Placentia. “It’s unfair.”

And illegal, at least according to lawyer Richard L. Spix, who claimed that the restriction violates state law against discrimination. Spix said he sent letters to more than 100 Palm Springs hotels this week in an attempt to make that point.

‘Illegal Overreaction’

“I hope they back off,” said Spix, known previously for his work representing low-income rent strikers in Santa Ana. “They’re going to have a much larger police presence this year. That’s the way to handle that problem. We don’t need illegal overreaction.”

Last year, an estimated 15,000 vacationing students descended on Palm Springs. Some dumped water on passing motorists, ripped clothes off women and threw rocks and bottles when police tried to disperse crowds. Police made 530 arrests and property damage totaled $40,000.

All of Palm Springs’ 85 police officers will work 12-hour days this year between April 10 and 20, and all vacations have been canceled, said Police Lt. Gary Boswell, who participated in a series of public meetings seeking ways to avoid a rerun of last year.

Additionally, at least 35 California Highway Patrol officers and Riverside County sheriff’s deputies will augment municipal police, Boswell said.

Boswell said police have also urged liquor retailers to be particularly careful in checking customer identifications.

Age restrictions for hotel rooms haven’t been discussed, he said, although city ordinance prohibits renting to people under 18 who are not accompanied by a parent.

‘Not a Bad Idea’

“We have never suggested that they not rent to anybody under 21, but it’s not a bad idea,” Boswell said.

The policy is widespread, according to Rolfe Arnhym, executive vice president of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce.

“All we ask is that they conduct themselves as young men and women,” Arnhym said. “Also, we are aware that most of the hotels, for their own protection, have decided they will impose an age restriction.”

The chamber didn’t suggest that tactic. “It is their (the hotels’) call and their judgment,” Arnhym said.

Spix said he plans to file a complaint with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing on Monday. If the letter and complaint don’t work, “the next thing would be litigation, but I hope we don’t have to file a lawsuit,” Spix said.

“They should just judge those people on the basis of their individual conduct. If they break the law, arrest them,” Spix said.

More Peaceful Season

Arnhym said he’s looking forward to a more peaceful season this year, what he called “turning a lead balloon into a brick of gold.” He said he been been urging merchants to encourage visitors to “engage in that great American pastime called shopping.”

“The better time they have, the happier everybody’s going to be,” Arnhym said.

Which is exactly what Askier has in mind.

“We just all get together. It’s a break from school and work, from the pressures of being a kid, or whatever,” Askier said. “We get up there and relax and have a good time.”