Cerritos : Ordinance Will Levy Fines for Calls on Loud Parties

People who hold loud parties may have to pay hundreds of dollars in fines under an ordinance expected to win final City Council approval Wednesday.

The measure, which would take effect 30 days after passage, would impose law enforcement costs on Cerritos residents holding parties if sheriff’s deputies have to respond more than once to complaints.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols Cerritos, a typical loud party incident requires three one-deputy cars, one two-deputy car and a sheriff’s helicopter working for 30 minutes. Based on hourly costs for those units, the call would cost $373.

Officials said Cerritos has had no serious problems with loud parties, but they view the ordinance as a deterrent.

“It’s a tool to communicate to party people that we don’t want the large parties . . . one more tool to help keep the peace and quiet,” Lakewood Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Manthorne said.

The Cerritos ordinance is modeled after similar measures in other cities, including Artesia, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Lakewood, Long Beach, Norwalk, Paramount, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate.