Sonoma County Prevention Partnership

June 11, 2010

ACTION ALERT URGENT—TIME SENSITIVE!

AB 605 (Portatino) — An act to add Sections 23396.56 to the Business and Professions code,

relating to alcohol beverages. This bill was originally a horse racing bill. This is a "gut and amend” bill

at the 11th hour. It was amended on June 7, 2010 to become an off‐sale tasting bill. The bill would

authorize the holder of any off‐sale retail license to purchase an instructional tasting license that

would allow an instructional event where free tastings of alcoholic beverages may be served. The bill

is exempt for any limitations on the number of licenses according to city or county requirements and

exempt from an undue concentration requirement. The proposed bill does not require publication

and noticing for the license application. The instructional tastings can occur in the area where

alcoholic beverages are exposed and offered for sale. Tasting participants would be separated by a

permanent or temporary barrier from the rest of the premises. Patrons would be limited to three

tastings in one day. The bill does not identify a monitoring process for regulating the proposed

tasting limitations. The bill does not indicate if patrons are limited to the number of locations they

can consume the maximum three tastings. The proposed license application fee is $300 with a $261

renewal fee.

Status: Senate Governmental Organization Committee

This bill is set for hearing on June 22, 2010!

What Can You Do?

1. Write a letter (see attached template) to Senator Roderick Wright,

Chair, Senate Governmental Organization Committee. You may fax the letter to (916) 445‐3712.

Get individuals from your community to also submit letters. Encourage police departments,

health providers, community‐based organizations, neighborhood organizations, and other

community stakeholders to submit letters.

2. Review the list of Senate Governmental Organization Committee members, and cc your letter to

members from your area (fax numbers can be found online):

http://www.senate.ca.gov/ftp/sen/committee/STANDING/GO/_home1/PROFILE.HTM

Senator Roderick Wright (Chair), District 25

Senator Tom Harman (Vice‐Chair), District 35

Senator Ron Calderon, District 30

Senator Jeff Denham, District 12

Senator Dean Florez, District 16

Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, District 32

Senator Jenny Oropeza, District 28

Senator Alex Padilla, District 20

Senator Curren Price, District 26

Senator Mark Wyland, District 38

Senator Leland Yee, District 8

3. Follow up your letter with a phone call and visit to their district office

4. Meet with your city, county, and/or state officials or their Aides about the potential community

health, public safety and associated problems with a potential tastings bill.

5. Attend the hearing on June 22. The hearing details will be announced at a later date and

distributed once released. Normally there are only a limited number of people who are actually

allowed to testify. However, there is usually the opportunity for others to come to the

microphone after the testimony, identify themselves and where they are from and to state their

position on the bill.

Talking Points:

1. The bill contains no language to determine appropriate process for local governing bodies or

local law enforcement to monitor and regulate free alcohol tasting in any outlet that sells alcohol

(convenience stores, pharmacies, big box stores, quick marts, grocery stores, etc.) Stipulating

limitations such as one event per day and three allowable tastings per patron is not sufficient to

ensure that consumption will be controlled or that underage access will be prohibited. Given the

shrinking budgets of local agencies, this process creates an added burden to already resource stretched

organizations.

2. The proposed minimal fee structure to obtain and retain an educational tasting license will result

in off‐sale establishments providing free tasting of any alcoholic product thus increasing alcohol

availability. Research documents that when alcohol availability increases, alcohol consumption

increases, resulting in amplified alcohol‐related problems. 1,2

3. Stemming from the basic economic principle of price and demand, research also demonstrates

alcohol price point directly affects alcohol consumption. Therefore, if proposed tastings are free,

overall alcohol consumption is likely to increase. Research documents alcohol consumption is

associated with alcohol‐related problems including injuries, deaths, crime, violence, and

associated costs. This bill would result in increasing the prevalence of alcohol‐related problems.

4. Excessive alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States each

year and responsible for about 10,000 deaths in California alone. In addition, excessive alcohol

use is responsible for numerous hospitalizations due to injuries.3 Creating an opportunity for

increased alcohol consumption, the proposed bill would likely lead to increased alcohol‐related

morbidity and mortality rates in California.

5. The total cost of alcohol use in California is $38 billion annually. This translates to roughly $1000

per resident each year.4 State and county medical programs shoulder $1.8 billion for healthcare

treatment of alcohol‐caused illness, injury, crime, and traffic collisions.5 Understanding that

increased access to alcohol correlates to amplified consumption, the proposed legislation would

raise the financial burden of alcohol on California's already strapped economy, increasing the

price tag public organizations already spend on alcohol‐related costs.

6. The density of alcohol outlets is associated with community crime.6,7 Alcohol outlets are

disproportionately concentrated in economically disadvantaged communities.8,9 As a result, such

neighborhoods often carry the majority of health and safety burdens associated with alcohol

outlet density. The unequal distribution of off‐sale outlets and increased access to free tastings

will likely compound the disproportionate health and safety effects of alcohol in economically

disadvantages communities.

Many thanks to Ed Kikumoto of Alcohol Policy Network for his initial bill analysis.

Additional Information:

Attached please find three additional documents for your information: 1) The amended AB 605; 2) AB

605 Bill Analysis prepared by Ed Kikumoto of Alcohol Policy Network; and 3) Letter template.

For more information on about this alert, please e‐mail Jana Stone at jstone@sonoma‐county.org or

call her at 707.565.6642.

1 Alcohol Availability, Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol‐Related Damage. The Distribution of Consumption Model.

Brian R. Rush, Louis Gliksman, Robert Brook. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, January 1986.

2 Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity. Research and Public Policy. By T. F. Babor, R. Caetano, S. Casswell, G. Edwards, N.

Giesbrecht, K. Graham, J. Grube, P. Gruenewald, L. Hill, H. Holder, R. Homel, E. Osterberg, J. Rehm, R. Room and I.

Rossow. Oxford University Press. 2003

3 Alcohol‐Related Deaths and Hospitalizations by Race, Gender, and Age in California. Stahre, Simon. The Open

Epidemiology Journal, 2010.

4 Marin Institute (July 2008).The Annual Catastrophe of Alcohol in California. Retrieved August 14, 2009 from

http://www.marininstitute.org/site/images/stories/pdfs/coststudygraphicfinal.pdf

5 Marin Institute (July 2008).The Annual Catastrophe of Alcohol in California. Retrieved August 14, 2009 from

http://www.marininstitute.org/site/images/stories/pdfs/coststudygraphicfinal.pdf

490 Mendocino Ave., Suite 202 ⋅ Santa Rosa, CA 95401 ⋅ 707.565.6680 ⋅ Fax 707‐565.6619

6 "Wetter” neighborhoods have higher levels of drinking, accidents and violence. Scribner, Richard: Alcoholism:

Clinical & Experimental Research, February 2000.

7 Alcohol Outlet Density and Violence: A Geospatial Analysis. Zhu, Gorman, Horel: Alcohol & Alcoholism, 2004.

8 Social Science and Medicine Health risk and inequitable distribution of liquor stores in African American

neighborhood. LaVeist, Wallace. Social Science & Medicine, August 2000.

9 The Concentration of Liquor Outlets in an Economically Disadvantaged City in the Northeastern United States.

Gorman, Speers. Comm. Substance Use & Misuse, 1997.

Priest's Answer To Gang Life Faces Hard Times [NPR Radio]

In Los Angeles, generations of ex-gang members have found jobs and new lives, thanks to Homeboy Industries. It's the largest gang rehabilitation program in the country, founded and operated by a Jesuit priest, the Rev. Gregory Boyle.

But the organization is in a financial crisis that could spell its end. For more than 21 years, Homeboy Industries has helped thousands of gang members remove their tattoos, get counseling, find jobs and move away from violence.

In fact, the nonprofit's motto has been: "Nothing stops a bullet like a job."

But nothing stops 300 jobs like a $5 million deficit. Recently, Boyle tearfully told his staff of ex-gang members he'd have to let them go. Read the full article at NPR.

Members:

Please read his insightful debate on sustainability issues facing many community-based organizations. After reading these articles, please come back and comment at MyPrevention.org. Thank you.

McKinsey & Company –

The Debate Zone: Should social entrepreneurs adopt the language and practices of business?

http://whatmatters.mckinseydigital.com/the_debate_zone/should-social-entrepreneurs-adopt-the-language-and-practices-of-business?utm_source=quarterly&utm_medium=marketing&utm_campaign=SE_forum_q_alert2_debate

The business world offers ready made mechanisms for turning good ideas into large scale enterprises. Social entrepreneurs who really want to change the world should take advantage of those mechanisms.

Bullying Prevention: A National Discussion

Free Webinar: Wednesday, April 7, 2010

This webinar will also include a facilitated discussion around recent school bullying episodes and how educators, mental health professionals, government agencies, mentoring providers and community-based organizations can address the problems associated with bullying and prevent bullying in the future.

The goal of this webinar is to bring professionals and community partners together to discuss, collaborate and act, to ensure young people do not fail to get the help they need—sometimes, as a matter of life and death. We encourage bullying prevention experts, educators and other youth development professionals to join this discussion and share their perspective on this critical issue.

Attention:
Following the webinar, MyPrevention.org will be hosting an open blog to continue the discussion, and participants may upload resources to share with colleagues.

A recent study looked at when children do and do not obey adults' rules. Researchers found that kids are more likely to resist rules about personal things — what to wear, who to play with — while they generally respect rules about moral behavior or safety.

 

Check out this NPR story and provide your comments here.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125302688&ft=1&f=1030