Redlands Planning Commission puts midnight last call on hold

REDLANDS, Calif. — A proposal to end alcohol service at midnight across Redlands is on hold after planning commissioners said they need more evidence that a citywide cutoff is the right way to address late-night violence and demands on police downtown.

The Redlands Planning Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to continue consideration of the ordinance to an unspecified future date, asking city staff to return with more detailed crime data, studies of similar policies in other cities and alternative enforcement measures.

The decision keeps alive a Redlands Police Department proposal that would prohibit bars, restaurants, breweries and other businesses from serving alcohol for on-site consumption between midnight and 6 a.m. State law allows alcohol sales until 2 a.m.

Commissioners agreed that late-night problems downtown require attention but questioned whether restricting every alcohol-serving business in the city was the appropriate response and whether the city had sufficiently studied alternatives before proposing the change.

Police point to spike after midnight

Deputy Police Chief Jeremy Floyd told commissioners that police data show a significant increase in calls involving downtown bars after midnight.

From Jan. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2026, police responded to more than 1,000 calls for service downtown between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., along with more than 650 officer-initiated activities.

Of more than 260 bar-related calls during that period, 62 occurred between midnight and 1 a.m. and 74 between 1 and 2 a.m., which is about 60% more than during the two hours immediately before midnight, Floyd said. Police also recorded 21 violent incidents at downtown bar locations in 2024, 34 in 2025 and 29 through August of this year.

Floyd said serious incidents can require seven to nine officers, potentially tying up an entire patrol team that is also responsible for responding to calls elsewhere in the city.

“The numbers show that midnight is a significant dividing point, and addressing what happens after midnight could have a meaningful impact on public safety and our ability to provide police services throughout the rest of the city,” Floyd said.

Police have shifted teams downtown and used overtime during particularly busy periods, but Floyd said relying on additional staffing is not a sustainable long-term solution.

Commissioners question whether midnight is the answer

Commissioners repeatedly pressed staff on whether the data demonstrated that midnight itself was significant or whether problems would simply move earlier if businesses were required to stop serving alcohol two hours sooner.

Vice Chair Emily Elliott asked to see police data broken down by hour.

“Is it 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. that's the problem? Or is it the last two hours of operation that's the problem?” Elliott said. “I can't tell the difference with the data that I have right now.”

Commissioner Mark Stanson also questioned how the outcome would change if people left the bars at midnight versus 2 a.m.

Floyd acknowledged the department could not know with certainty how behavior would change under an earlier cutoff.

“I don't know that the crowd that comes in after midnight would still be there before midnight,” Floyd said. “Ultimately, until we actually make this change, we wouldn't know the answer to that.”

Commissioners also questioned whether a citywide restriction was proportionate given the relatively small number of businesses that currently operate after midnight.

City Planner Brian Foote said most Redlands restaurants with beer-and-wine licenses close by 9 or 10 p.m. About five stay open until midnight.

Among businesses operating later, four downtown restaurants with full liquor licenses close around 12:30 or 1 a.m. on weekends. Six downtown bars or lounges have 2 a.m. closing times, but only two stay open that late on select days, typically weekends. Two other downtown bars close by 1:30 a.m. Foote also identified one restaurant elsewhere in the city that remains open past 2 a.m.

The ordinance, however, would apply citywide.

Chair Karah Shaw asked what other remedies the city had tried before bringing the midnight restriction to the commission.

Staff could not immediately identify a previous conditional use permit enforcement action involving one of the businesses. However, staff noted that most of the late-night establishments at issue are restaurants that do not operate under conditional use permits, limiting the city's ability to impose conditions on their operations through that process.

When Shaw asked whether the city had researched similar policies and found measurable results, staff pointed to Murrieta but said detailed information was not available at the meeting.

Elliott later called for data-driven case studies showing not only whether earlier closing times affected public safety but what consequences they had for businesses and surrounding communities.

“I don't feel like I have everything that I need to make an informed decision this evening,” Elliott said.

Commissioners also asked staff to examine cities that have taken different approaches, including Riverside, which continues to allow alcohol service until 2 a.m. but has a dedicated police team for its downtown nightlife district. Floyd said Redlands does not have a comparable unit.

Businesses push for targeted enforcement

Local bar owners and the Redlands Chamber of Commerce opposed the citywide cutoff, arguing it would penalize businesses operating responsibly without necessarily addressing behavior occurring on downtown streets and parking lots.

Darren Bowman, who has owned Redlands Underground for two years, said his bartenders and security staff monitor customers and prevent over-serving. He questioned why the city wasn't making greater use of existing enforcement tools.

“There's already tools,” Bowman said. “It's really hard to get a liquor license. It's really easy to lose a liquor license.”

Bowman, who said he has worked in the industry for 33 years without being cited, said the restriction could threaten his business.

“The ordinance will very likely put me out of business, and I'm faced with losing everything because of the actions of others,” he said.

Nick Robinson, who owns The Three Stags with his wife, said the family-run business employs 32 people and estimated a midnight cutoff would cost about 7% of its annual revenue.

Robinson said some of the most concerning activity he sees occurs in the parking lot behind his business rather than inside it, including people gathering and drinking after hours.

“We're not the problem here,” Robinson said.

Evan Sanford, CEO of the Redlands Chamber of Commerce, said the organization supports holding businesses accountable for documented problems but opposed imposing the same restriction on every alcohol-serving establishment.

“This proposal penalizes every restaurant and bar, regardless of its location, operating history, permit conditions, or actual impact on the surrounding areas,” Sanford said.

The Chamber urged the city to instead pursue a “performance-based approach,” including case-by-case review of operating hours and progressive enforcement against establishments with repeated violations.

Commission sends proposal back for more study

By the end of the hearing, commissioners generally agreed that the city should address the public-safety problems identified by police but were not ready to recommend the midnight cutoff.

In making the motion to continue the item, Elliott said the goal was to find a solution that balances safety with the city's economic health.

“I think we're all here to try to meet this with curiosity and understand the data and the patterns and to find that solution so that we do have a safe community that we feel good about being in and also making sure that we're a prosperous city,” Elliott said.

The commission voted 7-0 to continue the proposal to a date uncertain and directed staff to return with “specific data, case studies, outcome data, best practices and alternative enforcement measures.”

Until then, Redlands' existing alcohol-service rules remain unchanged, with businesses permitted under state law to serve alcohol until 2 a.m.