Hispanic Public Relations Association Announces Call-For-Entries for the 2018 HPRA National BRAVO! Awards
NEW YORK, June 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) today announced the call-for-entries for the highest accolade in Hispanic communications – the HPRA National BRAVO! Awards. Hosted in New York City for the fourth consecutive year, the 2018 National BRAVO! Awards celebrate the best corporate, agency, and non-profit PR and marketing teams, and the breakthrough work they produced. The event is made possible in part by the generous contribution of The Coca-Cola Company, Wells Fargo, Havas FORMULATIN, Cision and HispanicAd.com, who are returning sponsors of the awards.
“The HPRA National BRAVO! Awards is our yearly opportunity to recognize the excellence of Hispanic PR & Marketing campaigns and the positive impact these stories affect within our communities,” said Veronica Potes, president of the HPRA National Board. “We look forward to hosting agencies, media, internal communications teams and influencers at this year’s event; as well as celebrate those organizations and individuals driving our industry forward.”
There are 16 categories available to enter for the HPRA National BRAVO! Awards including:
- Technology
- Healthcare/Nutrition
- Fashion & Beauty
- Food & Beverage
- Public Education
- Sports
- New Product/Service Launch
- Media Event
- Integrated Marketing Communications
- Non-Profit
- Digital PR Program (Social Media Campaign)
- Internal Communications
- CSR Communications
- Public Affairs
- Multicultural PR Program
- Agency of the Year
How to Enter
All materials are required to be submitted digitally. Awards categories are open to all public relations, advertising, and marketing agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations and/or practitioners who practice in the United States, including Puerto Rico. Work must have been implemented between June 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018. All entries must be received by 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, August 10, 2018 PST.
Entry fees and deadlines are as follows:
Early Bird Deadline – Ends July 20, 2018: HPRA Member $125, Non-members $200
Final Deadline – August 10, 2018: HPRA Members $150, Non-members $225
Entries will be judged by an unaffiliated panel of senior public relations professionals representing industry national organizations and trade publications. Entrants will be notified of results by September 10. Awards winners will be recognized at HPRA National BRAVO! Awards dinner at The Lotte New York Palace Hotel in NYC on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.
For more information about the awards program and to enter a submission, visit: https://hpra-usa.org/pages/bravo-awards/
For information about HPRA National BRAVO! Awards sponsorship opportunities, please contact the HPRA National Office at [email protected].
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SOURCE Hispanic Public Relations Association
HITN Presents A New Program About Puerto Rico’s Economic Recovery With New Series: Puerto Rico Contigo
BROOKLYN, New York, June 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — HITN, the leading Spanish-language network that offers educational and entertainment content to more than 44 million households across the United States through TV cable providers, will launch its new series, Puerto Rico Contigo on July 1st.
“Puerto Rico Contigo, our new show on HITN, was created to share the stories of recovery on the island told by Puerto Ricans who endured and survived Hurricane Maria,” said Michael D. Nieves, President and CEO of HITN. “Each episode has exclusive interviews with the Puerto Ricans who are committed to the island’s recovery and are making a difference on the island.”
This original programming has roots in a one-hour special HITN aired shortly after Hurricane Maria reached Puerto Rico. Soon after the special aired, HITN engaged in a variety of relief efforts for the island. The Brooklyn-based cable channel helped secure shipping containers for the community of New York City and Hartford, Connecticut so cases of bottled water, batteries, canned foods, and clothing could be sent to Puerto Rico. “HITN also purchased and installed water filters in schools located in Vieques,” added Nieves.
Today, months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, HITN wants to highlight all the progress being made by local government officials, civil organizations, private companies, small and medium companies, local non-for-profits, foundations and civil entities about the island’s economic recovery. Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting Corporation (WIPR) will showcase the program on Sunday, July 1st at 10:00 p.m. EST, with a rebroadcast of the thirteen half-hour episodes of the series every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
The President for WIPR, Rafael Batista said, “Puerto Rico Contigo will be HITN’s very first production that will air regularly in WIPR. For us is key to collaborate with HITN not only showcasing this special program, but in the future with similar co-productions that help present Puerto Rico’s real economic situation. It is very important because we want to reach to the big Puerto Ricans community living in USA. We are very pleased to see that with this presentation of Puerto Rico Contigo, the partnership between both networks will be finally materialize, sharing the common vision to inform and offer educational and entertainment content.”
José Hernández, General Manager of HITN Puerto Rico said, “After the initial emergency response process caused by Hurricane Maria, the government, the private sector, public institutions such as the Chamber of Commerce and local non-for-profits, started shifting from the recovery efforts to try to incentivize local small businesses and the economic sector. It’s important to accentuate the resiliency of the local businessmen and women and the overall positive effect that the dissemination of these stories will have on the economic recovery of the Island,” Hernández added, “We’d like to highlight that, regardless of the hardship due to the situation in the island, there are many initiatives and local companies with strong and creative business plans in place that will help them to get over all obstacles in their way to the economic recovery.”
The program Puerto Rico Contigo features thirteen 30-minute episodes, which capture a message of strength and stories of hope and economic recovery told by the people who endured and survived the Hurricane Maria. Puerto Rico Contigo is scheduled to air through WIPR, Channel 6, every Sunday at 10:00 p.m. EST, with a rebroadcast every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST, starting next Sunday July,1st .
HITN-TV is a leading Spanish-language media company that offers educational and cultural programming for the whole family. It reaches more than 44 million viewers in the US and Puerto Rico via DIRECTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-verse TV, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast, Charter Spectrum, Frontier Mediacom, CenturyLink Prism and Cablevision. For more information, please visit www.hitn.tv.
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SOURCE HITN
Brand and Agency Leaders Headline 16th Annual Hispanic Television Summit Thursday, October 4, 2018 at New York Marriott Marquis
NEW YORK, June 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Advertising is an important focus of this year’s Hispanic Television Summit, and its particularly appropriate that the event is during a week when the advertising community traditionally assembles in New York City. The 16th Annual Hispanic Television Summit will be presented by Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at the New York Marriott Marquis.
Leading brand and agency executives headline this year’s summit. Diego Scotti, Verizon’s Chief Marketing Officer will be honored with the Award for Brand Leadership for his efforts in building Ad Fellows, an industry partnership involving brands, agencies and colleges that is designed to foster the next generation of diverse marketing leaders. Lisa Torres, President of Publicis Media’s Multicultural Practice, Cultural Quotient, will also be honored with the Award for Executive Leadership for her achievements in overseeing media investment for many top brands in the Hispanic television and video space. Isaac Mizrahi, Co-president and Chief Operating Officer of ALMA will be the Opening Keynote of the Summit. Under Mizrahi’s leadership, ALMA has won multiple Cannes Lions Awards, and he will speak about the development of effective creative advertising as well as share some industry perspectives in his role as Chairman of the Culture Marketing Council – The Voice of Hispanic Marketing. Additionally, Gonzalo Del Fa, President of Group M Multicultural and Karina Dobarro, SVP, Multicultural at Horizon Media are confirmed to participate in the program.
“We are proud to be able to feature this distinguished group of brand and media leaders at this year’s Hispanic Television Summit,” said Charlie Weiss, Vice President of the Broadcast, Cable and Broadband Television Group at Future U.S., the parent company of the summit’s two presenting publications, Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News. He added, “Our producers will be confirming more executives from brands and agencies in the coming weeks.”
The Summit producer, Joe Schramm, President of Schramm Marketing Group added, “Advertising revenue is critical to the ongoing growth and profitability of Hispanic television and video. As viewers adopt new directions in how they consume video, advertisers and agencies are making timely adjustments.” He continued, “Advertising is always a very important focus for our Summit.”
Over the past 16 years, this summit has earned a reputation as the premier conference for those in the business of television and video for Hispanic audiences, worldwide. It attracts about 500 registrants who are top executives and managers from broadcast, broadband, cable, satellite, OTT, programming networks, production companies, distributors and syndicators, financial investment, research and audience measurement firms, creative agencies, media companies and brands. The summit has been presented all 16 years by Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News and has been produced each year for these publications by Schramm Marketing Group.
To learn more about the 16th Annual Hispanic Television Summit or to register, visit www.hispanictvsummit.com.
About Future
Future plc is an international media group and leading digital publisher, listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol: FUTR). The Group operates two separately managed brand-led divisions: Media and Magazine. The Group has a reach of 120m+ globally, including 62m online users and 63m social media reach. The Media division focuses on being at the forefront of digital innovation, in particular, the high growth technology, games and music markets, with three complementary revenue streams: eCommerce, events and digital advertising. It has a number of leading brands including TechRadar, PC Gamer, GamesRadar+, What Hi-Fi?, The Photography Show, AV Technology, The Homebuilding and Renovating Show, NYC Television Week and Golden Joysticks Awards. The Magazine division has over 60 leading brands in diverse verticals including music, gaming, photography, home interest, field sports, technology and B2B. These include iconic household names such as PC Gamer, T3 and Total Film as well as market leading specialist brands including Music Week, Digital Camera and Edge.
About Schramm Marketing Group
Schramm is a marketing agency that specializes in multicultural and segmented marketing, ticket sales promotions, and producing conferences for the television and video industry. The company is recognized for its expertise in attracting large, sold-out crowds for international soccer and for driving pay TV subscription sales. They recently launched Fantastico.nyc where Latinos buy tickets online in Spanish. Schramm created and produces the Hispanic Television Summit as well as other internationally-recognized conferences. Schramm’s clients include the leading brands in sports, television, entertainment, telecommunications, and non-profits. For more information, visit www.schrammnyc.com.
For more information, contact:
Schramm Marketing Group
Navi Ramnarain
212.983.0219
[email protected]
Future U.S.
Anthony Savona
212-378-0450
[email protected]
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SOURCE Broadcasting & Cable and Multichannel News
Toyota Returns To Chicago For Another Epic Summer Of Latin Alternative Music At Ruido Fest
PLANO, Texas, June 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — For the third year, Ruido Fest brought together some of the best Latin alternative bands for a musical extravaganza this past weekend in Chicago.
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8353051-toyota-music-den-ruido-fest-2018/
This year, Toyota partnered with Latin singer, songwriter and producer, Wisin to curate a lineup of emerging artists featured at the Toyota Music Den, providing a stage for a variety of genres in support of music discovery and Toyota’s commitment to supporting these artists on their road to success.
“Toyota is a champion of music discovery and always looking for authentic ways to connect with guests through music,” said Tyler McBride, Toyota’s engagement marketing manager. “We are so excited to be partnering with a music icon like Wisin who brings his talents and expertise, along with his genuine appreciation for the brand, to our Toyota Music Den to help us continue providing a stage for emerging artists to share their music with fans.”
The Toyota Música interactive experience at Ruido Fest featured numerous activities, including vehicle activations that brought music to life. Within this area, the Toyota Music Den presented a mix of musical performances with some of today’s most exciting Latin talent. The lineup included:
- Dominican American singer/songwriter, Jahzel Dotel
- Hector Mendoza, Dominican DJ and producer, DJ Happy Colors
- Latin pop rock band, Los Hollywood
- Dominican singer, Jarina De Marco
- Two-time GRAMMY award winning producers/writers/DJs, Play-N-Skillz
- Los Angeles indie band, Las Cruxes
- Puerto Rican Latin Trap singer, Joha “La Primera Dama”
“The opportunity to be the curating artist for Toyota Música at Ruido Fest was incredible. I love to listen to different artists and genres of music not just as a music lover but also because I enjoy discovering new talent. To be able to help people discover new music and artists looking to pave their way brings me a lot of satisfaction and I applaud Toyota for championing the project.”
In addition to continuing its support for music through festival participation, Toyota announced its fourth-year partnership with the VH1 Save The Music Foundation in support of music education. The interactive campaign encourages musicians and fans alike to express their support and share what music means to them through social media using #ToyotaGiving.
Toyota and VH1 Save The Music have presented grants to various deserving schools in Chicago, Las Vegas and New Orleans to date. Toyota will make its largest donation yet to VH1 Save The Music this year, $50,000 which will fund a Music Technology grant to support a school in the Philadelphia School District, as well as a $7,500 music grant to the Miami-Dade School District.
About Toyota:
Toyota (NYSE: TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
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SOURCE Toyota
Acura TLX GT Cards Class Win and Third Overall as Acura Sets Multiple Records at 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
PIKES PEAK, Colorado, June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Acura once again showcased its performance credentials with a multiple record-setting campaign of the 2018 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, its seventh consecutive run to the mountain’s 14,115-foot summit. Acura’s “Race to the Clouds” was highlighted by the Acura TLX GT as the fastest production-based car, earning Acura an overall third-place finish; by the Acura NSX, which set a new Hybrid record; by the TLX A-Spec, posting a new course record for a front-wheel-drive car; and the 2019 RDX making its motorsports debut third-in-class.
“We love Pikes Peak. It’s a tremendous test of Acura technology and of our performance capabilities,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of Acura. “Congratulations to Peter Cunningham and the RealTime Racing team, along with our associates at Honda R&D and Honda Performance Development who helped make this another exciting year for Acura at Pikes Peak.”
The TLX GT, driven by Peter Cunningham, posted an impressive, record-setting time of 9:27.352, earning Acura its third straight Open Class victory and an overall third place finish, bested only by two bespoke, highly specialized racing machines. This year’s TLX GT featured a power-enhanced J35 twin-turbo V6 motor with new software mapping, new transmission gearing, revised suspension geometry and Pirelli racing slicks. Long-time Acura racing partner and owner of RealTime Racing, Peter Cunningham, was last year’s Pikes Peak Rookie of the Year.
“I’m so proud of our Acura and RealTime Racing team, who, as usual, brought their A-game to the top of the mountain,” said Cunningham. “We had some incredibly tough competition this year, but all of our hard work, building on the great fundamentals of the Acura TLX, paid off in a big way again this year.”
The production-based Acura NSX, piloted by Honda R&D engineer James Robinson, posted a new Hybrid record, besting its own 2017 record with a time of 10:02.448, finishing fourth in the Time Attack 1 Class. Building on the successful modifications from last year’s run, the TA1 NSX featured larger turbos, new software and new aerodynamic elements including a bigger wing and front splitter.
The Acura TLX A-Spec, piloted by Honda R&D engineer and five-time Pikes Peak veteran Nick Robinson, set a new course record for a front-wheel-drive car with a time of 10:48.094. This year’s TLX A-Spec competed with an updated 500-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 turbo powerplant, a limited-slip differential and a revised aerodynamic package.
Pikes Peak rookie, and Honda R&D engineer Jordan Guitar, debuted the all-new 2019 RDX on the Exhibition Class podium despite deteriorating weather that forced race officials to truncate the course in its closing hours.
This is the seventh consecutive year that Acura has raced vehicles in the historic Pikes Peak event. Acura also served as the Official Pace Car sponsor of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, with a 2019 RDX A-Spec driven by Olympic figure skating bronze medalist Chris Knierim.
About Acura Motorsports
Over three decades, Acura has utilized racing as a means to test its mettle and prove out its performance capabilities, capturing numerous national endurance and sports car racing titles along the way. Today, Acura is racing the ARX-05 Daytona Prototype, campaigned by Team Penske, in American endurance sportscar racing competition, and the NSX GT3, partnered with Meyer Shank Racing, in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. Acura is also celebrating its seventh year of racing at the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and serves as Official Pace Vehicle of the annual ‘Race to the Clouds’.
About Acura
Acura is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance, representing the original values of the Acura brand – a commitment to evocative styling, high performance and innovative engineering, all built on a foundation of quality and reliability.
The Acura lineup features six distinctive models – the RLX premium, luxury sedan, the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the five-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, the seven-passenger Acura MDX, America’s all-time best-selling three-row luxury SUV and the next-generation, electrified NSX supercar as a new and pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance.
Five of the six models in the Acura lineup are made exclusively in central Ohio1, including the ILX and TLX luxury sports sedans (Marysville Auto Plant), the RDX and MDX luxury SUVs (East Liberty Auto Plant) and the Acura NSX supercar, which is built to order at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio.
For More Information
Additional media information including pricing, features and high-resolution photography is available at AcuraNews.com. Consumer information is available at Acura.com. Follow Acura on social media at Acura.us/SocialChannels.
1 Using domestic and globally sourced parts
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SOURCE Acura
Family Physicians Help Patients and Families Confront Bullying
LEAWOOD, Kan., June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — When family physician Michael Munger, MD, steps into one of his exam rooms, he doesn’t always know what to expect. He sees patients from all walks of life, all ages and all genders. He recently entered the exam room to find one of his patients, a young adolescent we’ll call Mitch, sulking in a chair next to his mother. He knows Mitch, because he’s cared for him since he was a happy-go-lucky toddler.
Recently, something happened and Mitch’s mood changed. His grades began to falter, he made excuses to avoid school, and he was no longer interested in playing lacrosse. Mitch was already self-conscious about his size 14 shoes, and now he was being bullied about his acne. In fact, the bullying became so bad that he was afraid to report it for fear of retaliation by his peers.
Mitch’s story isn’t uncommon. Bullying can happen anywhere and can appear in many forms as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that, in the past year, 20 percent of youth have been bullied on school property and 16 percent have been bullied electronically. Verbal and social bullying are the most common, followed by physical bullying and cyberbullying. Seventy percent of young people reported seeing bullying in their schools.
“The experience of being bullied can have long-lasting and devastating effects on people of all ages, but especially on children in their formative years,” said Munger, who practices family medicine in Overland Park, Kansas, and is president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “Parents and children sometimes can’t resolve the problem on their own, and it’s OK to ask for help.”
Family physicians can help families identify and address the harmful effects of bullying such as physical injury, anxiety, depression and sleep disorders.
Kathleen Eubanks-Meng, DO, a family physician in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has cared for high school students with symptoms of depression related to online and face-to-face bullying. She said bullying often stems from jealousy of peers’ blossoming romances, or girls putting down other girls for their height, weight and body type. She has even seen cases where teachers have been the bullies or victims of bullying themselves.
“Whether it be name calling, spreading rumors or purposefully excluding someone, kids can be so cruel without knowing the harm they are inflicting,” said Eubanks-Meng. “My job as a family physician is to advocate for my patients. Sometimes this means meeting with school administrators, coordinating counseling, and developing an individualized plan involving school and home support systems.”
Both Munger and Eubanks-Meng agree that a team-based approach to halt bullying can lead to positive outcomes, but they emphasize the need to seek help early and to be consistent. By doing so, it sends a message to the bully that the behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.
For more information on how to prevent and confront bullying, visit familydoctor.org and a media kit at https://www.aafp.org/media-center/kits/bullying-media-kit.html.
About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the American Academy of Family Physicians represents 131,400 physicians and medical students nationwide, and it is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Family physicians conduct approximately one in five of the total medical office visits in the United States per year – more than any other specialty. Family physicians provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and cost-effective care dedicated to improving the health of patients, families and communities. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing and personal patient-physician relationship where the family physician serves as the hub of each patient’s integrated care team. More Americans depend on family physicians than on any other medical specialty.
To learn more about the AAFP and family medicine, visit www.aafp.org/media. Follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For information about health care, health conditions and wellness, visit the AAFP’s award-winning consumer website, www.familydoctor.org.
SOURCE American Academy of Family Physicians
Latino Business Leaders are Meeting with Gubernatorial Candidate Cynthia Nixon
QUEENS, N.Y., June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Over 50+ key Members from over 20 Hispanic tristate chambers are meeting with New York State Gubernatorial Candidate Cynthia Nixon on Monday, June 25th to discuss various issues that are facing the Latino community.
A few of the topics on the agenda are:
- Two-year delays in State certification for Latino owned Businesses.
- Over 30+ Latino owned restaurants being forced to shut down due to new State regulations.
- Various issues that are facing our immigrants and LGBT communities.
About NYSCHCC:
With over 50,000 members, the New York State Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (NYSCHCC) is one of the United States’ premier business membership organizations. We are a coalition of members, with over 20 Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, sole proprietors, partnerships, multinational corporations, and the small mom and pop businesses that drive this great nation’s economy. For more information please visit http://www.nyschchamber.com/about/
About NYCLGBTQSCC
The mission of the New York City Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Straight Chamber of Commerce, Inc.– NYCLGBTQSCC is to foster economic development opportunities for LGBTQS business in NYC. It is our hope to increase the visibility and strengthen the place of LGBTQS in business in the global economy, starting with our borough. We are committed to providing necessary information and resources to our community in order to ensure their success and endurance, while assisting in removing barriers and creating new opportunities for minority business. For more information please visit http://www.nyclgbtqscc.com/
If you would like more information about this event, please call Claribel Cortes at 732-874-1023 or email [email protected]
SOURCE New York State Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (NYSCHCC)
Alcohol Justice and CAPA: Blockbuster Reports Destroy Arguments to Extend California Last Call to 4 a.m.
SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — 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.
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CONTACT: |
Michael Scippa 415 548-0492 |
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Jorge Castillo 213 840-3336 |
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/147418/alcohol_justice_logo.jpg
SOURCE Alcohol Justice; California Alcohol Policy Alliance
Press statement from the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School about Lesandro Guzman-Feliz
BRONX, N.Y., June 23, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The board of trustees, faculty, staff and students of the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School are heartbroken at the loss of our student, friend and classmate Lesandro (Junior) Guzman-Feliz. Lesandro was a sophomore at our school. He was a kind, sweet, respectful young man, always smiling, who had so much potential. Our school is a family and losing a wonderful 15 year old boy to senseless violence is hard for us to understand; and because we are a family, the Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School will provide support and pay for his funeral expenses. We send our deepest condolences to his grieving family.
Media contact: Robin West, Urban Health Plan 347-203-8489
SOURCE Dr. Richard Izquierdo Health and Science Charter School