From the Panel Chairs...
As anyone raising teenagers in Santa Rosa knows, we have a teen drinking
problem in our community. Teens are starting to drink earlier, more often
and more heavily than ever before. In increasing numbers, they are experiencing
the risks of this use - in accidents and crashes, unwanted pregnancies,
crime, violence and a whole range of physical, social and academic problems.
Although our involvement with the Santa Rosa Policy Panel on Youth Access
to Alcohol has expanded our sense of the seriousness of teen alcohol problems,
we are also impressed with our ability to reverse them. We are convinced
that it is not only necessary, but entirely possible, to reduce risk-taking
behavior by young people and change adult practices which devalue or actively
threaten the well-being of our youth.
Teen alcohol problems are really adult alcohol problems. We, as adults,
create the community in which our children learn and grow. If we are to
build a community which is healthy and safe for young people, we must recognize
our responsibility to work together wisely and consistently to provide the
leadership, modeling and boundaries to achieve this goal.
Although each Panelist came to the process with an individual knowledge
of the problem, we also knew collectively that our community has had some
real successes at problem solving. These consensus recommendations, developed
during more than 20 hours of public hearings, subcommittee meetings and
deliberative sesions, are the blueprint for a community-wide effort to address
the serious problem of youth access to alcohol.
It is with satisfaction and hope that we conclude this part of our work
and submit our findings and recommendations. Now we begin the essential
next step of implementation. We have made the commitment to become catalysts
for change. It is our hope that you will join us.
Underage drinking is a problem in Santa Rosa. According to a survey conducted
in local schools in 1994, many teens report frequent, heavy drinking.
Santa Rosa teens also report frequent experiences of drinking to the
point of intoxication, driving under the influence, and riding with drinking
teen drivers. Sonoma County alcohol-related youth crashes exceed the state
average. Local teens confirm the findings of state and national surveys,
showing that alcohol use put teens at increased risk for other drug use,
crime and violence, unwanted and unprotected sex, and a myriad of personal,
social and academic problems.
Underage drinking exacts a costly toll on our community. Yet, despite
a legal drinking age of 21, alcohol is easy for young people to obtain.
In fact, 89% of high school juniors reported that alcohol is "easy
to get" in Santa Rosa - at home, at parties, from local merchants.
The efforts of educators have paid off - teens today are more knowledgeable
about the risks of underage alcohol use - yet "binge drinking"
rates are climbing and first use begins earlier now than it ever has.
Is teen drinking a harmless rite of passage or serious public health
problem? Why is alcohol become so readily available to teens? What can be
done to draw the line on underage drinking? What can parents, educators,
law enforcement, business and community leaders do together to reduce underage
access to alcohol?
To address these important questions, the Santa Rosa Policy Panel on
Youth Access to Alcohol was convened in November of 1995. Twenty-two individuals
were recruited to serve on the Panel, representing a variety of disciplines,
perspectives and constituencies from throughout the community. The goal
of the Policy Panel was twofold: to focus community attention on the problem
of underage access to alcohol, and to stimulate action planning by individuals,
organizations and government bodies to address it.
The mission of the Panel members was to:
The Policy Panel convened its first public hearing on November 15, 1995
and concluded its final deliberations on January 17, 1996. During this eight-week
process, the Panel heard testimony from over fifty individuals and considered
more than forty separate policy proposals to reduce youth access. After
many hours of subcommittee work and deliberation, twenty-six consensus recommendations
were developed. The recommendations were organized into clusters related
to schools, law enforcement, community, merchants and land use. Panel members
agreed to take the final recommendations back to their constituencies and
to advocate for action planning and implementation. The Panel also planned
to reconvene at six and twelve months to assess progress on implementation
and consider additional recommendations.
Kale Anderson, Member, Santa Rosa Teen Council; Dan
Berman, President, Redwood Empire Restaurant Association; Jeanne
Buckley, Sonoma County Juvenile Court Commissioner; Arthur
Chung, Member, Santa Rosa Teen Council; Janet Condron,
Member, Santa Rosa City Council; Jody Delwiche, parent; Ellen Draper,
Sonoma County Department of Health Services; Lorri Emmerich,
Sonoma County Wineries Association; Greg Granderson, Board
Member, 100 Black Men; Mark Kostielney, Director, Department
of Health Services; Dan Maguire, Associate Executive Director,
YMCA; Kay M. Marquet, Executive Director, Sonoma County
Community Foundation; Edward H. Martin, M.D., Executive
Director, Individual Practice Association of the Redwoods; Rev.
Martin Miller-Hessel, Knox Presbyterian Church; J. Michael
Mullins, District Attorney, County of Sonoma; Michael C.
Panas, Principal, Santa Rosa High School; Michael J. Parman,
Publisher, The Press Democrat; Salvatore Rosano, Chief,
Santa Rosa Police Department; Hon. Arnold D. Rosenfield,
Sonoma County Superior Court Judge; Mike Runyan, C.E.O.,Food-4-Less;
Rabbi Jonathan Slater, Congregation Beth Ami; Carl
Vallejos, President, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
The Santa Rosa Policy Panel was sponsored by Santa Rosa ACT - a community
action group of the Teen Alcohol Prevention Project (TAPP). TAPP is a project
of the North Bay Health Resources Center, with support from the California
Office of Traffic Safety, The California Wellness Foundation, and Join Together
- a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For further information,
contact TAPP at (707) 762-4591.
* * *
1. The Policy Panel recommends that the City of Santa Rosa support Santa
Rosa A.C.T. in initiating and coordinating a community-wide campaign involving
local governments, religious institutions, schools, businesses, and civic
organizations to promote public awareness and action to reduce youth access
to alcohol.
2. The Policy Panel recommends that organizations administering or offering
youth programs adopt policies to insure that all youth parties and events
are alcohol-free. Organizations fundraising for youth programs should be
encouraged to hold alcohol-free events when youth will be present. If alcoholic
beverages are served, responsible beverage service policies and training
should be implemented to reduce youth access to alcohol and promote responsible
consumption by adults.
3. The Policy Panel recommends that the Department of Alcoholic Beverage
Control require responsible beverage service training for all one-day licensees.
4. The Policy Panel recommends that alcohol producers and retailers not
use advertising which targets youth or makes alcohol consumption attractive
to youth.
5. The Policy Panel recommends that news media publish the names of individuals
and retailers who furnish alcohol to minors and adults who allow teen alcohol
parties in their homes.
6. The Policy Panel recommends that a comprehensive, coordinated drug and
alcohol prevention and intervention program be developed and implemented
at all primary, secondary and college levels. The program should: incorporate
proven effective teaching, counseling and peer counseling strategies targeting
both students and parents; include collaboration with appropriate community-based
organizations and; be evaluated continuously to assess its effectiveness.
7. The Policy Panel recommends that Santa Rosa schools maintain a zero
tolerance policy and vigorously enforce it. Emphasis should be placed on
parent involvement in policy development, early intervention for youth and
families, and the development of effective sanctions which minimize loss
of student learning time.
8. The Policy Panel recommends that school districts and private schools
provide to all teaching staff, coaches and other adults with student contact
training and support in recognizing, intervening, and referring students
in possession or under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Such training
should also include discussion of personal responsibility, role modeling
behavior, and values clarification on issues related to youth substance
use.
9. The Policy Panel recommends that school districts, private schools,
and school-related organizations develop specific written guidelines on
the appropriateness of alcohol use at fund-raisers and other events and,
in cases where alcohol is sold or served, assure responsible beverage service.
10. The Policy Panel recommends that school boards work with local government,
business and civic organizations to make school campuses and other community
venues available for safe, alcohol-free after-school and weekend activities
for youth.
11. The Policy Panel recommends that Santa Rosa schools develop a policy
to notify the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Police Department
of retail outlets identified as locations of sales or service to minors.
The policy should empower students, parents and other adults to report youth
access locations.
12. The Policy Panel recommends that the City Council provide adequate police
resources to respond to youth alcohol violations and enforce youth alcohol
laws.
13. The Policy Panel recommends that the Court and District Attorney
assess the effectiveness of and consider increasing current sanctions for
alcohol servers at licensed establishments who are cited for violations
of alcoholic beverage laws.
14. The Policy Panel recommends that each City and the County law enforcement
agency develop and adhere to uniform and specific protocols for responding
to parties where alcohol is being consumed by minors. These protocols should
include: methods to detain minors who have been drinking and minors who
are occupants in the vehicles of drinking drivers; methods to notify the
parents of minors who have been drinking and; situation-specific protocols
for enforcement actions with detained minors.
15. The Policy Panel recommends that the County of Sonoma develop a youth
alcohol and other drug detoxification and treatment center for minors under
age 18.
16. The Policy Panel recommends that the City of Santa Rosa and the County
of Sonoma adopt a uniform comprehensive party ordinance which imposes a
mandatory fine on any adult (age 18 or over) who permits, allows, or hosts
a party or event at his/her place of residence or other private property
where five or more persons under the age of 21 are present and alcoholic
beverages are in the possession of, or being consumed by, any person under
the age of 21. The fine should be set at $500 for the first offense and
$1000 for second offense, in addition to appropriate law enforcement cost-recovery
fees. Fines collected should be directed to youth services programs.
17. The Policy Panel recommends that the Santa Rosa City Council and
Santa Rosa School District develop a pilot project for one middle school
and one high school which assigns one police officer for early intervention
with teens involved in alcohol or drug use.
18. The Policy Panel recommends to the State Legislature and the Governor
that increased funding be provided to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage
Control for the purpose of preventing youth access to alcohol.
19. The Policy Panel recommends that the City of Santa Rosa and County of
Sonoma convene regular meetings involving alcoholic beverage retailers,
the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Santa Rosa Police Department
to address issues related to youth access to alcohol, including sales to
minors, shoulder tapping, theft, false identification, and alcohol advertising
and promotion.
20. The Policy Panel recommends that the City of Santa Rosa develop and
support an on-going program to involve community volunteers in reducing
youth access to alcohol.
21. The Policy Panel recommends that the State of California establish
a mechanism to require that all commercial alcohol servers and sellers are
trained in responsible beverage service.
22. The Policy Panel recommends that local innkeepers implement policies
and practices, consistent with the guidelines of the California Hotel and
Motel Association, to reduce on-premise consumption of alcohol by minors
and the renting of rooms for minors by their parents or other adults.
23. The Policy Panel recommends that the City of Santa Rosa develop policies
which prohibit the possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages in
all City parks and other City-owned facilities, except where a permit for
alcoholic beverage service or consumption has been obtained from the City.
Permits issued by the City for the service/consumption of alcoholic beverages
should include conditions which promote responsible service. The Panel further
recommends that the County of Sonoma adopt the same policy with regard to
County facilities which exist within the City of Santa Rosa.
24. The Policy Panel recommends that the City of Santa Rosa adopt a separate,
comprehensive Conditional Use Permit process for on and off-sale alcoholic
beverage establishments. The permit process should include, but not be limited
to, mandatory notification of adjoining properties and/or residents, the
prohibition of such establishments within 1,000 feet of schools or other
uses not consistent with the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages,
a requirement for mandatory training of servers and sellers of alcoholic
beverages, the annual review of such permits, and any other conditions dealing
with the management, operation, and public impact of the establishments
in question. The ordinance should include the manner in which existing uses
are to be addressed. This specific Conditional Use Permit Process should
also include penalties and sanctions which may be imposed, short of revocation
of the permit, for violations of the Use Permit conditions.
25. The Policy Panel recommends that the City of Santa Rosa develop a
process, using specific criteria, to determine "public convenience
and necessity" for all new on- or off-sale alcohol licenses proposed
for areas of higher than average crime or undue concentration of licensed
outlets, pursuant to 23958.4 of the Business and Professions Code.
26. The Policy Panel recommends that the State Legislature return local
control over the permitting of retail alcohol sales at gasoline service
stations to the cities and counties of California.
For further information about the Teen Alcohol Prevention Project contact:
Barbara Graves
Teen Alcohol Prevention Project
North Bay Health Resources Center
55 Maria Drive, Suite 837
Petaluma, CA 94954
Phone (707) 762-4591
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