Carpinteria City Council Amends Live Music Restrictions

Live music supporters came in droves to defend the rights of business owners and musicians to host live entertainment at Carpinteria’s City Council Meeting on Monday, March 25. In a unanimous decision, the council agreed to ease license conditions on live performances that businesses had deemed overly restrictive and burdensome.

City officials implemented restrictions after one business, Island Brewing Company, received 21 complaints beginning in July of 2023, largely from the same household. Prior to these incidents, noise complaints remained low, less than five per year, according to city staff reports.

According to a report from city staff, investigators discovered that many businesses did not have licenses to host outdoor live music. Island Brewing Company, Corktree Cellars, the BrewLAB, and Apiary Beverage Co. then obtained licenses and formed their own coalition.

But despite these restrictions working on paper, businesses were unhappy. When Mayor Al Clark asked one of the owners of Island Brewing Company, Paul Wright, what he did not like about the licensing regulations, Wright said that they were difficult to understand. Specifically, Wright said, the distance parameters — which stated that live music couldn’t be heard from more than 300 feet for indoor performances, or 500 feet for outdoor performances — were hard to follow. And the hours, which stated that live music events could be two hours maximum on weekdays and six hours maximum on weekends, were restrictive.

City staff presented the current licensing regulations for live music which included time and distance restrictions. After almost 30 public comments in favor of loosening the restrictions, the council unanimously agreed to remove the distance and decibel restrictions as well as the three-strike rule, which would have revoked a business’s license after three violations. They extended the hour restriction to allow live music for six hours on weekdays and nine hours on weekends (with a weekday curfew of 9 p.m. and weekend cutoff at 10 p.m.) and also directed staff to continue allowing outdoor music following the expiration of the city’s temporary COVID-19 outdoor business program on June 30.

Jared Nels, a Santa Barbara–based musician who has a gig at Island Brewing Company this upcoming weekend, says the loosening of restrictions is “drastically going to make things so much better.” He disagrees with claims that indoor music is a “win-win-win.” There are certain venues where, indoors, the music is simply too loud, he said.

Nels also noticed an added stress to the owners and employees of the businesses he played at. Once music was moved indoors, owners were constantly concerned about the sound levels, and less focused on their business. Sandy Dorfman, a friend of the Wrights, told the council that it was unfair to see Paul anxious and unable to take his eyes off his decibel reader.

Stephen and Eileen Marcussen, who have been part-time residents of Carpinteria for 19 years, said that the restrictions had restored their right to quiet enjoyment in their home. They are “deeply disturbed” that these ordinances are being erased. The loss of distance and decibel restrictions leave residents with “no guardrails” between the music and their homes, they said in a joint statement.

Although the two were seen as outliers, and have been the most vocal about restricting live music, they were not alone. One public commenter urged the council to consider that people may have conditions where they are sensitive to noise. Another invoked the frequently used Carpinteria motto, asking to “Keep Carp, Carp” — the quiet beach town it has been for decades.

The music supporters, however, disagreed with the opposing use of “Keep Carp, Carp.” For many, music is integral to Carpinteria’s history, culture, and community.

Curtis Lopez, a man whose family settled in Carpinteria Valley in 1860, recalled his childhood with city-sponsored outdoor summer concerts and music at the former Noah’s Ark location. “It’s been in our livelihood for as long as I can remember,” he said.

Residents spoke to the community-building and healing nature of music. Many recalled spending nights at Island Brewing Company, listening to music, and dancing with their children. They praised restaurant owners such as Paul and Cheryl Wright of Island Brewing Company, and André Jackson of Corktree Cellars, for acting as pillars of the community. One speaker noted that these businesses make generous donations to the community, and the restrictions would limit their income.

“I feel like I’m in an ’80s movie, Footloose, trying to defend music,” said Monica Thomas, a long-time Carpinteria resident. “That shouldn’t happen. Music heals. Music creates bonding, and bonding creates community.”

Councilmember Roy Lee agreed with public commenters that Island Brewing Company was being targeted unfairly and that the licensing regulations needed to be easier to understand.

The council’s 5-0 decision was met with cheers from the crowded room. Supporters came from both the meeting room and over Zoom.

“Music is not noise; music is something that we all appreciate, we all love,” Lee said. “Let’s make it simple, common sense, going forward.”