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Downtown Santa Cruz preparing for big Halloween crowd

Every year, thousands of people flock to downtown Santa Cruz for Halloween.

Last year, 15,000 people visited the downtown. But because Halloween is on a Saturday police said they’re expecting an even bigger crowd, and businesses are getting ready.

“People come in early. We have extra managers, extra staff and we’ll be ready for you,” said downtown restaurant manager Rudy Torres.

Torres said Halloween is one of the most profitable nights of the year.

“It’s just festive. Everybody is in their costumes having a good time.
We’re just like big kids,” said Torres.

And to make sure everyone is safe, the Santa Cruz Police Department is enforcing an Safety Enhancement Zone starting Friday.

More than 100 officers will be out through Sunday. Triple fines for certain offense will also be enforced, ranging up to $1,000.

“We have the triple fines in place to motivate good behavior. We’ve got large crowds that are going to be coming downtown and we want to make sure people come and enjoy themselves and get home safely,” said Joyce Blaschke with the Santa Cruz Police Department.

For some, that’s a reason to avoid downtown all together.

“It gets rowdy down here and the type of clientele that we cater to is not what we have here out partying at the clubs and at the bar scene,” said shop owner Michael Pappas.

Pappas said he’s closing his olive oil store early to avoid the chaos.

“You have people in masks, I don’t need anyone getting held up or
anything. You don’t know what to expect nowadays. We just play it safe
close the doors early, open back up the next day,” said Pappas.

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