Supervisors Approve Broader Prohibition on Drinking in Public

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allow sheriff’s deputies to cite those who drink or urinate in public.

While related laws are on the books, the alcohol prohibition has been limited to county parks, beaches and the lobby at John Wayne Airport.

“These are inadequate to deal with the more widespread problem of alcohol consumption in public,” said Assistant Sheriff George Jaramillo.

Tuesday’s action brings the county in step with numerous cities that have enacted such bans.

“The public needs this ordinance,” Jaramillo said. “We have got to have the ability of enforcement in the county’s unincorporated areas.”

The Sheriff’s Department sought the ordinance--which applies only to unincorporated areas--because deputies were routinely encountering people drinking alcohol but not enough to be cited for being under the influence.

Anyone caught drinking alcohol in public can now be cited for a misdemeanor. The maximum penalty is a year in jail and a $10,000 fine, Jaramillo said.

The ordinance will help when deputies answer complaints about loud and disorderly conduct in a public place, officials said.

Usually the disorderly behavior stops when the deputy arrives, Jaramillo said. And often it resumes after the deputy leaves.

With the ordinance, deputies will be able to insist that the drinkers move inside.

The term “public place” does not include the yard of a single-family residence.