SACRAMENTO, Calif.,
June 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- At a press event on the Capitol steps last week, California
Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) and Alcohol Justice released two new
reports on the statewide public health and safety threats of
extending alcohol sales to 4 a.m. The groups and individuals
condemned SB 905 (Wiener) that would launch a dangerous seven-city,
five-year experiment that could expose over 76% of California's population to increased
alcohol-related harm.
"In the past ten years, at least five major studies have
reviewed all the evidence around late last call times. Every one of
them concluded they lead to more violence, crime, victimization,
crashes, and injury," stated Carson
Benowitz-Fredericks, l Research Manager, Alcohol Justice,
lead author of THE LATE NIGHT THREAT: Science, Harms and Costs
of Extending Bar Service Hours. "California is supposed to be a place where
evidence-based policy beats out cash-based policy. SB 905's authors
need to take the harms from alcohol as seriously as they take the
dinners from lobbyists."
The bill, authored by Senator Scott
Wiener (D-San Francisco),
plastered with the labels of "NIGHT LIFE MATTERS" and "LOCAL
CONTROL," resonated with the state Senate that passed it. The
Senate vote, though not unanimous, was a clear statement that it
valued alcohol sales more than public health and safety, and
nightclub and bar interests over neighborhood concerns.
The second report presented was a blistering critique titled:
The effect SB 905 would have on alcohol-related crashes &
Senator Wiener's post hoc fallacy. "The
table Senator Wiener passes around, claiming there's no harm in
keeping bars open to 4 a.m., is a
piece of junk science," reported Ramon
Castellblanch, Ph.D., President, Quality Healthcare
Concepts, Professor Emeritus, Health Education, San Francisco State University and author of the
report. "He's using it to misinform legislators and to lie
to them about the DEADLY effects of bar hours being extended to 4
in the morning."
"Over 40 years of peer-reviewed data confirms that extending
alcohol sales would mean more intoxicated drivers on the road
during early morning commutes, more DUI crashes, injuries and
deaths," said Mark B Horton, MD, MSPH, Health Leadership
Consultant, Prior State Health Officer and Director, California
Department of Public Health. "The studies also consistently show
that extending hours leads to substantial increases in emergency
room visits and violent crime."
"The residents of West Hollywood I know don't want this. They
don't want more noise, they don't want more drunkenness, and they
don't want more fighting and drunk driving. Period. They don't want
it," implored Sarah Blanch,
Director of the Westside Impact Coalition, Co-Chair of the Los
Angeles Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance (LADAPA). "I can
say for certain that this bill is not good for our community, for
Los Angeles County, and I doubt it
will have anything but negative impacts for California's other counties."
According to CDC-reviewed reports, California already suffers $35 billion in alcohol-related harm every year,
with 10,500 lives lost and hundreds of thousands of additional
injuries. Local and state
governments share of this grisly tab is a whopping $14.5 billion annually.
"There is consensus among state public health and safety
providers that no part of the alcohol industry deserves additional
competitive advantages until they start paying their fair share of
California's alcohol-related
problems," stated Thomas
Renfree, Deputy Director, Substance Use Disorder Services,
County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California. "The last time the California alcohol excise tax increased was in
1992, when it was raised by one cent.
Without strong, uniform, state protections, power over health
regulations often revert, not to the community, but to wealthy
businesses—in this case, Big Alcohol and large entertainment
concerns. SB 905 places economic interests ahead of public health,
it needs to be stopped in the Assembly."
"Please consider our families that will be getting on the
road while bars are letting out. SB 905 is a very bad idea. Protect
our families," said Sandy Logan,
CCPS, ICPS, Prevention Coordinator, National Council on Alcohol
& Drug Dependence (NCADD) of San Fernando Valley. "Por
favor, consideren a nuestras familias que se pondrán en camino
mientras los bares están dejando salir. SB 905 es una muy mala
idea. Proteger a nuestras familias."
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) joined in the opposition
rally against the bill. "SB 905 lacks any evidence to support
the bill author's claim that extending hours of sale would not
increase alcohol-related harm," stated
Lynne Brown, Program Manager/Law Enforcement Liaison,
Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "MADD supports the uniform
statewide cut-off limit on alcohol sales. This uniform time helps
prevent barhopping to find one last drink at establishments with
later closing times. Far too often, the search for 'one last drink'
results in drunk driving."
"Last February, my dear friend David lost his life to a drunk
driver after a 2 a.m. closing
time," said Pamela Weller,
Cal State Dominguez Hills public health
graduate and Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP) volunteer.
"Please take a moment to think about all the people that will be
affected if any bar stays open until 4, the early commuters, truck
drivers, law enforcement, youth, young adults, and family members.
The only individuals that will benefit from SB 905 will be people
who make a profit off of alcohol sales. I deeply urge you to vote
NO on SB 905."
Gennesis Jerez, member of the Coalition to Prevent
Alcohol–Related Harms in LA Metro (COPALM) offered this comment at
the report release: "When families are on constant survival mode
and have limited literacy or luxury of time they become targets for
the expansion of nightlife and ultimately don't get a choice and
are the most impacted."
"SB 905 is a clumsy attempt by Senator Scott Wiener to pull the wool over the eyes of
the legislature by pitching it as a pilot project, but don't be
fooled," stated Bruce Lee
Livingston, Executive Director / CEO of Alcohol Justice,
co-author of THE LATE NIGHT THREAT: Science, Harms and Costs of
Extending Bar Service Hours. "SB 905 is nothing more than a
greedy grab for more profits by promoting binge drinking in the wee
hours of the morning. When you account for how far young drinkers
will drive at 2 a.m. to get a last
couple of drinks, 76% of the state's population will be at risk of
commute hour DUI collisions in we call the 'Splash Zones'. We urge
the Assembly to do what the Senate could not and STOP this
dangerous experiment."
"The bottom line for this bill is that it will create a
dangerous policy change for California," said Michael Scippa, Public Affairs Director at
Alcohol Justice. "This change will economically benefit alcohol
sellers in the epicenter of night-life entertainment districts
while radiating harms and costs to "Splash Zone" surrounding
communities when 'commuting drinkers' return home
impaired."
The bill faces a key committee vote on Thursday, June 28, 2018. Alcohol Justice and
California Alcohol Policy Alliance urge the public to TAKE ACTION
at alcoholjustice.org to tell Assembly Members to vote NO on SB
905.
CONTACT:
|
Michael Scippa
415 548-0492
|
|
Jorge Castillo
213 840-3336
|
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alcohol-justice-and-capa-blockbuster-reports-destroy-arguments-to-extend-california-last-call-to-4-am-300671198.html
SOURCE Alcohol Justice; California Alcohol Policy Alliance