{"id":270450,"date":"2025-04-08T16:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/english-california-advocates-urge-lawmakers-to-reject-ab-342\/"},"modified":"2025-04-08T17:10:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T21:10:02","slug":"activistas-de-california-piden-a-los-legisladores-rechazar-el-proyecto-de-ley-ab-342","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/activistas-de-california-piden-a-los-legisladores-rechazar-el-proyecto-de-ley-ab-342\/","title":{"rendered":"California Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Reject AB 342"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n.prngen2{\nPADDING-RIGHT:0.17em; PADDING-LEFT:0.17em; VERTICAL-ALIGN: BOTTOM; BORDER-TOP:black 1pt; BORDER-RIGHT:black 1pt; BORDER-BOTTOM:black 1pt; BORDER-LEFT:black 1pt\n}\n.prnml4{\nMARGIN-TOP:0em; MARGIN-RIGHT:0em; MARGIN-BOTTOM:0em; MARGIN-LEFT:0.33em !IMPORTANT\n}\n.prnbcc{\nBORDER-COLLAPSE: COLLAPSE\n}\n.prntac{\nTEXT-ALIGN: CENTER\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p class=\"prntac\"><b>Extending Alcohol Sales to <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 A.M.<\/span> Puts Public Health and Safety at Risk<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">SAN RAFAEL, Calif.<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">April 8, 2025<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=3074221667&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alcoholjustice.org%2F&amp;a=Alcohol+Justice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Alcohol Justice<\/a>\u00a0<b>reports that<\/b>\u00a0as <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> lawmakers consider <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=1132749560&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fleginfo.legislature.ca.gov%2Ffaces%2FbillNavClient.xhtml%3Fbill_id%3D202520260AB342&amp;a=AB+342\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">AB 342<\/a>\u2014a bill that would extend alcohol sales in bars, restaurants, and clubs to 4 a.m.\u2014public health advocates, community leaders, and concerned residents are urging the <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=1198090434&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fagov.assembly.ca.gov%2F&amp;a=Assembly+Governmental+Organization+Committee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Assembly Governmental Organization Committee<\/a> to vote NO on the dangerous proposal. Passing AB 342 would disrupt <span class=\"xn-location\">California&#8217;s<\/span> longstanding and evidence-based <span class=\"xn-chron\">2 a.m.<\/span> last call, exacerbating the state&#8217;s already alarming rates of alcohol-related harm, including drunk driving fatalities, assaults, and preventable deaths.<\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg5226left\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"width: 100%; text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpg5226left\" title=\" \" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2659796\/ALCOHOL_JUSTICE__4_AM_Bar_Bill.jpg\" alt=\" \" align=\"middle\"\/><\/div>\n<p><b>A Dangerous Precedent for <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span><\/b><br \/>AB 342 would allow cities like <span class=\"xn-location\">San Francisco<\/span> to extend alcohol sales to <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 a.m.<\/span>, undermining the state&#8217;s uniform <span class=\"xn-chron\">2 a.m.<\/span> last call\u2014a policy that has protected communities for decades. This change would not only increase risks within <span class=\"xn-location\">San Francisco<\/span> but also expose communities in surrounding counties, including <span class=\"xn-location\">Marin<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Alameda<\/span>, and <span class=\"xn-location\">Santa Clara<\/span>, to heightened dangers. While alcohol sellers in <span class=\"xn-location\">San Francisco<\/span> may see marginal economic benefits, the broader costs to public health, safety, and taxpayer resources would be devastating.<\/p>\n<p><i>&#8220;This bill is a reckless attempt to prioritize alcohol industry profits over the well-being of Californians,&#8221;<\/i>\u00a0said <span class=\"xn-person\">Cruz Avila<\/span>, Executive Director of Alcohol Justice. <i>&#8220;The data is clear: extending last call to <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 a.m.<\/span> will lead to more drunk driving, more injuries, and more lives lost. <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> cannot afford to ignore the science or the human cost of this policy.&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>The High Cost of a <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 A.M.<\/span> Last Call<\/b><br \/>A groundbreaking analysis by the <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=2261739087&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Farg.org%2F&amp;a=Alcohol+Resource+Group\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Alcohol Resource Group<\/a> and Alcohol Justice, titled <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=4102377927&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Falcoholjustice.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F02%2Fhighcost4am-PRINT.pdf&amp;a=%22The+High+Cost+of+the+4+A.M.+Bar+Bill%2C%22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">&#8220;The High Cost of the <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 A.M.<\/span> Bar Bill,&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0highlights the severe consequences of extending alcohol sales. The report confirms what public health experts have long warned: later last call times compromise public health and safety.<\/p>\n<p><b>Key Facts<\/b><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li><b>Increased Drunk Driving Fatalities:<\/b>\u00a0Alcohol-related driving fatalities in <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> have already risen sharply, from 966 in 2019 to 1,370 in 2021 (California Office of Traffic Safety, 2023). Extending alcohol sales to <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 a.m.<\/span> would put even more drunk drivers on the road during early morning commute hours, endangering countless lives.<\/li>\n<li><b>Escalating Alcohol-Related Deaths:<\/b>\u00a0Alcohol-related deaths in <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> have surged by 70% in just six years, from 10,800 annually in 2015 to 19,335 in 2021 (Esser et al., 2020; Jim\u00e9nez, Demeter &amp; Pinsker, 2023). AB 342 would worsen this crisis by enabling excessive drinking into the early morning hours.<\/li>\n<li><b>Economic Burden:<\/b> Alcohol-related harm costs <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> an estimated <span class=\"xn-money\">$35 billion<\/span> annually. Extending last call would further strain public resources, requiring additional police, ambulance, and emergency services to address the fallout.<\/li>\n<li><b>Harm to Neighboring Communities:<\/b>\u00a0Analysis of the <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=1941665264&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chp.ca.gov%2Fprograms-services%2Fservices-information%2Fswitrs-internet-statewide-integrated-traffic-records-system&amp;a=Statewide+Integrated+Traffic+Records+System\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System<\/a>\u00a0shows that alcohol-related crashes are always more likely to be coming out of the urban centers targeted for late last calls. Crashes on101 N were 58.2% more likely to be going from SF to <span class=\"xn-location\">Marin<\/span> than <span class=\"xn-location\">Marin<\/span> to SF; on 101 S, they were 20% more likely to be going into <span class=\"xn-location\">San Mateo County<\/span> from SF on 101 S and 50% more likely to be going into <span class=\"xn-location\">San Mateo County<\/span> from SF on 280 S. Similar patterns were seen around Oakland.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=2430102000&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Falcoholjustice.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F04%2FSWITRS-ETOH-5YEAR-BAYAREA.jpg&amp;a=(Alcohol+Justice%2C+2023)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">(Alcohol Justice, 2023)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Widespread Opposition to AB 342<\/b><br \/>Since 2013, there have been six attempts to pass similar legislation, and each time <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> has rejected it. The state wisely recognizes that extending alcohol sales is a dangerous policy change that prioritizes profit over people. AB 342 faces considerable opposition from communities across <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span>, including lawmakers who understand the risks it poses.<\/p>\n<p><i>&#8220;This bill is a disaster waiting to happen. Extending alcohol sales to <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 a.m.<\/span> will only lead to more drunk driving, more accidents, and more tragedies on our roads&#8221;, <\/i>said <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> Assemblymember <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=2695495931&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fad34.asmrc.org%2F&amp;a=Tom+Lackey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"xn-person\">Tom Lackey<\/span><\/a> (R-<span class=\"xn-location\">Palmdale<\/span>), who was a CHP officer for 28 years.<i> &#8220;As someone who has seen the devastating consequences firsthand, any public policy that will undoubtedly result in tragedy and death deserves to be denounced.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>A Call to Action<\/b><br \/>Advocates are urging the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee to <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=542112107&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.votervoice.net%2FAlcoholJustice%2FCampaigns%2F122982%2FRespond&amp;a=TAKE+ACTION\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">TAKE ACTION<\/a> and stand with <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> families to reject AB 342, because extending alcohol sales to <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 a.m.<\/span> is not a solution to any expressed need; it is a threat to the well-being of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> communities.<\/p>\n<p><i>&#8220;AB 342 is a slippery slope that would strip away the statewide protections of a <span class=\"xn-chron\">2 a.m.<\/span> last call,&#8221;<\/i> said <span class=\"xn-person\">Raul Verdugo<\/span>, Advocacy Director at Alcohol Justice. <i>&#8220;It disregards 40 years of peer-reviewed research and ignores the voices of Californians who value public health and safety over alcohol industry profits.&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>About Us<\/b><br \/>Alcohol Justice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and dedicated to reducing alcohol-related harm through research, advocacy, and community engagement. By holding the alcohol industry accountable and promoting evidence-based policies, Alcohol Justice works to create healthier, safer communities. <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=2766716435&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Falcoholjustice.org%2Fsign-up%2F&amp;a=Sign+up+to+receive+Alcohol+Justice+eNews+and+Action+Alerts.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sign up to receive Alcohol Justice eNews and Action Alerts.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Join the conversation:<\/b>\u00a0#ProtectCALastCall #VoteNoOnAB342 #PublicHealthOverProfits #STOP4AMBarBill.<\/p>\n<div>\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"1\" class=\"prnbcc\">\n<tr>\n<td class=\"prngen2\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"prnml4\"><span class=\"prnews_span\"><b>CONTACT<\/b>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td class=\"prngen2\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"prnml4\"><span class=\"prnews_span\">Michael Scippa 415 847-3006<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"prngen2\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"prngen2\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"prnml4\"><span class=\"prnews_span\">Raul Verdugo 310 689-9401<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"prngen2\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\"><\/td>\n<td class=\"prngen2\" colspan=\"1\" rowspan=\"1\">\n<p class=\"prnml4\"><span class=\"prnews_span\">Carson-Benowitz-Fredericks 917 426-6443<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg6d7aleft\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"width: 100%; text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpg6d7aleft\" title=\"Alcohol Justice logo.\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/147418\/5256667\/ALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg\" alt=\"Alcohol Justice logo.\" align=\"middle\"\/><\/div>\n<p>Photo &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=3793293986&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F2659796%2FALCOHOL_JUSTICE__4_AM_Bar_Bill.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F2659796%2FALCOHOL_JUSTICE__4_AM_Bar_Bill.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2659796\/ALCOHOL_JUSTICE__4_AM_Bar_Bill.jpg<\/a><br \/>Logo &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=1614349392&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F147418%2F5256667%2FALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F147418%2F5256667%2FALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/147418\/5256667\/ALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>SOURCE  Alcohol Justice<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p class=\"prntac\"><b>Extending Alcohol Sales to <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 A.M.<\/span> Puts Public Health and Safety at Risk<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">SAN RAFAEL, Calif.<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">April 8, 2025<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4400684-1&amp;h=3074221667&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alcoholjustice.org%2F&amp;a=Alcohol+Justice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Alcohol Justice<\/a>\u00a0<b>reports that<\/b>\u00a0as &lt;span&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":270451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gobierno-y-politica"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270450"}],"version-history":[{"count":"1","href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270476,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270450\/revisions\/270476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}