BURBANK : City to Prohibit Alcohol in Parks

This Fourth of July will be the last holiday weekend during which drinking alcoholic beverages will be legal in Burbank parks.

Moving to cut down on noise, crime and crowds, the Burbank City Council this week unanimously endorsed a ban on drinking in parks effective July 10.

Park officials have already begun to serve notice of the change, and will hand out flyers this weekend to park visitors, Parks and Recreation Director Mary Alvord said.

“They’ve already started to warn the drinkers that have been a problem,” she said.

Since the council gave preliminary approval to the ban last month, parks officials have notified picnic groups who request the use of park facilities that alcohol would soon no longer be allowed.

Burbank has permitted drinking in public parks until dusk, but that policy has left police and parks officials helpless in controlling large, unruly crowds. Of the 390 citations issued during a 10-month period, 112 were for alcohol offenses, such as open containers in a vehicle and drinking after dark. Nine arrests were made for underage drinking and public drunkenness.

The current policy also encouraged excessive drinking just before dusk, city officials have said.

Groups still may apply for exemptions on the ban, which could be granted on a case-by-case basis.