SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA), and Alcohol Justice, will release a timely new report on the statewide public health and safety threats of extending alcohol sales to 4 a.m. in California. The report will be released at a rally on the Capitol steps in Sacramento where groups and individuals will protest SB 905. The proposed bill would launch a dangerous seven-city, five-year experiment that could expose over 76% of California’s population to increased alcohol-related harm. The bill will face a key committee vote on Thursday, June 28, 2018.

SPEAKERS:    

• Mark B Horton, MD, MSPH, Health Leadership Consultant, Prior State Health Officer and Director, California Department of Public Health
• Lynne Brown, Program Manager/Law Enforcement Liaison, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
• Sarah Blanch, Director of the Westside Impact Coalition, Co-Chair of the Los Angeles Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance (LADAPA).
• Thomas Renfree, Deputy Director, Substance Use Disorder Services, County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California
• Pamela Weller, recent graduate from the public health program at CSU-Dominguez Hills
• Ramon Castellblanch, President, Quality Healthcare Concepts, Professor Emeritus, Health Education, San Francisco State
• Gennesis Jerez, member Coalition to Prevent Alcohol–Related Harms in LA Metro (COPALM)
• Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, Research Manager, Alcohol Justice
• Sandy Logan, Prevention Coordinator, National Council on Alcohol & Drug Dependence (NCADD) of San Fernando Valley
• Bruce Lee Livingston, Executive Director/CEO, Alcohol Justice

WHAT: Protest Rally on SB 905 (Wiener) – the 4 a.m. Bar Bill; Release of New Report The Late-Night Threat: Science, Harms, and Costs of Extending Bar Service Hours

WHEN: Wednesday, June 20, 2018 from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. (Check-in 10:30 a.m. – Lunch 12 noon)

WHERE: North Steps, State Capitol Building, 1100 L St., Sacramento, CA 95814

WHY:   

• On the heels of failing to pass his 4 a.m. bar bill (SB 384) last year, State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced SB 905, a dangerous seven-city, five-year experiment to extend last call hours until 4 a.m.
• This bill, like three others that have stalled out in previous sessions, will spread alcohol overconsumption, loss of life, injury, and nuisance across the state.
• Fatal DUI is a chronic, worsening problem for California.
• The U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force found that every 2-hour increase in last-call times results in greater vehicle crash injuries and E.R. admissions. (Hahn et al., 2010)
• There is no such thing as “local control” in alcohol policy. The harm from one city’s decision to change last-call times splashes over every surrounding community.
• California already suffers over 10,500 alcohol-related deaths and $34 billion in costs annually.

More information: Michael Scippa, Public Affairs Director, Alcohol Justice – (415) 548-0492   michaels@alcoholjustice.org

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SOURCE Alcohol Justice