SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento City Council is considering creating entertainment zones that would allow people to drink alcohol in open containers outside of bars and restaurants.

"I think it would be great so you don't have to slam [your drink] down and you can go outside and enjoy," said Bonnie Nichols, who lives in Sacramento.

It is the city's latest effort to pour into Sacramento's nightlife.

"I imagine it being a center of the city, which I think is really important culturally and demographically," said Brandon Robinson, founder of Tipsy Putt in the Downtown Commons (DOCO).

Robinson said it has been a struggle for businesses to bounce back from the pandemic, but Tipsy Putt has slowly been seeing foot traffic increase. He believes focusing on nightlife and creating a fun, fluid and safe environment where people can bar-hop could help.

"We were in Arizona, and we were able to do some more things like that," Stephanie Gustin said. "It just added to our fun, but it has to be within limits."

The city thinks these entertainment zones could benefit businesses when special events are happening nearby, allowing them to make booze sales.

"I know what I don't want. I don't want 24 hours a certain part of the city having a New Orleans and Mardi Gras," Mayor Kevin McCarty said.

McCarty said Sacramento is looking at cities like San Francisco that have had success with its open container entertainment zones, including near the Chase Center.

"I honestly wouldn't think that would be really smart because you'd have a lot of extra people drunk in public," said Iyesia Osborne, who lives in Sacramento. 

Mayor McCarty told CBS13 that there would be contained areas and times that police would increase staffing. 

"We're very, very mindful," McCarty said. "We will be having our police department help us craft this."

There are not definitive locations yet that would fall into these entertainment zones, but McCarty did mention parts of K Street, R Street and Capitol Mall.

"You always want to bring more nightlife to the downtown area, but you got to make it safe," said Kris Errecart, who lives in Sacramento.

The Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) is on board with this change in open containers and requires special permits for businesses participating in these zones. 

Over the past two years, Governor Gavin Newsom has been signing laws allowing local governments to create entertainment zones.

The Sacramento City Council will discuss this at its meeting Tuesday.