Santa Cruz law officials remind people to celebrate responsibly on New Year’s Eve

Santa Cruz, Calif. (KION-TV): New Year's Eve is Saturday, and family and friends are getting ready to celebrate.

Lyz Liddel visited her family in Santa Cruz to bring in the new year. 

“We're planning on staying in, having a laid-back night, we're probably going to make some puzzles, play some board games, um, if we're lucky, we'll stay until midnight,” Liddel said. 

She's keeping the celebration mellow, but others plan to go out. Santa Cruz Police wants to remind people about their safety enhancement zone.

“We have it every year. It's the triple fine zone,” Chief of Police, Bernie Escalante, said. “So, certain violations of the law in downtown and in the designated areas. You can face a triple fine.”

Some of those violations include; possessing alcoholic beverages in public, and unsafe or illegal behavior-related ordinances. 

Santa Cruz police said last year they handed out a couple of dozens of tickets on New Year's Eve. Santa Cruz police also plan to have more officers to patrol. Not only downtown but in other parts of the city. 

The City of Santa Cruz canceled the midnight fireworks in the town this year. Tourists like Phillip Pianezzi will be celebrating in a different city. 

“We'll be in Monterey,” Pianezzi said. “So, we'll probably go to the coast down there and walk around,” said Pianezzi.

Santa Cruz police said they don't have any DUI checkpoints scheduled, but they anticipate that the roads will be very wet and want to remind people not to drink and drive.

Santa Cruz's safety enhancement zone begins tomorrow at 2 p.m. and ends on New Year's Day at 5 p.m. Starting today, CHP will have a maximum enforcement period at 6 p.m. through midnight on Monday, January 2.