People in Los Angeles may love their beer pong, but one nearby city has banned the alcohol-based game in new venues.
The city of Huntington Beach actually passed a ban last week, which outlaws all alcohol-based games in new restaurants and in those establishments looking to renew entertainment permits. This means that bar hoppers will be saying good-bye to their ping pong balls and plastic red cups.
The Huntington Beach council members insist that the ban is critical to "maintaining public safety." Council members also hope that the ban will curb drunk driving and DUI arrests. Huntington Beach Police Chief Ken Small wrote in a letter to The Orange County Register that Huntington Beach is one of the most unsafe cities in California when it comes to the number of incidents of driving under the influence. In 2008, Huntington Beach police arrested 1,831 people for DUI and arrested 1,686 people for DUI in 2009.
However, a DUI lawyer in Los Angeles County or Orange County might argue that there's not a clear link between alcohol related drinking games and DUI arrests. Who's to say that people won't binge drink when there's no beer pong? This why the ban is so heavily criticized among Southern California residents. Will a ban on drinking games really make the city safer? Only time will tell. In the meantime, Huntington Beachgoers may have to look into venues outside the city for games.
- Huntington Beach Bans Beer Pong (NBC Los Angeles)
- Editorial: Tempest in a Beer Cup (Orange County Register)
- Find a DUI lawyer in Los Angeles (FindLaw)
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