Long Beach considering curfew for Belmont Shore bars

LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Long Beach City Council is considering implementing a curfew for bars in the popular Belmont Shore area after a string of violence, including a deadly shooting last month. 

What we know:

The council will vote on whether to have the city manager develop a late-night safety plan, which could include a temporary midnight curfew on bars and alcohol-serving businesses. 

"Who needs to drink after 12 o'clock? It seems like everything happens then. I think there are a lot of people in our community that are just fed up with it," said Long Beach resident Jeannie Jones. 

People who frequent the area told FOX11 they'd like to see either a curfew or a stepped-up police presence, which is another option the city is exploring. 

What they're saying:

"I think people wouldn't feel as emboldened to do risky behaviors if there was an increased police presence. I think it might help the businesses down here too," said Stefan, who lives in Long Beach.

David Newell lives down the street from where 32-year-old Jeremy Spears was shot and killed last month.  

"It's increasingly becoming a problem and they're going to have to do something. Because people want to come down here, have a good dinner and enjoy themselves and feel safe," said Newell.

There was also a deadly stabbing last year at Dave's Hot Chicken. 

Neighbors just want something to be done. 

"I think it's a good thing to maybe kind of test run, see what it looks like but you know what really needs to happen, they need to put more law enforcement at night past 10 p.m.," said Vince Wilson.

What's next:

On Tuesday night, the council approved two motions that are designed to explore ways to make Long Beach safer. The first motion will take 45 days, the city manager will have to come up with a report about how these changes might impact businesses and the city in Belmont Shore. Then a second report, 45 days after that, will include data from the entire city. 

Some of the bars in Belmont Shore, that are kind of the reason for all of this, say they're voluntarily closing their doors for 30 days to make it easier for the city to paint a clearer picture.