{"id":270698,"date":"2025-04-25T15:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T23:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/english-public-health-safety-advocates-condemn-california-assembly-committee-on-governmental-organization-for-caving-to-special-interests\/"},"modified":"2025-04-25T15:20:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T19:20:02","slug":"los-defensores-de-la-salud-y-la-seguridad-publicas-condenan-al-comite-de-organizacion-gubernamental-de-la-asamblea-de-california-por-ceder-ante-intereses-particulares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/los-defensores-de-la-salud-y-la-seguridad-publicas-condenan-al-comite-de-organizacion-gubernamental-de-la-asamblea-de-california-por-ceder-ante-intereses-particulares\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Health &amp; Safety Advocates Condemn California Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization for Caving to Special Interests"},"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.prntac{\nTEXT-ALIGN: CENTER\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p class=\"prntac\"><b>Dangerous <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 a.m.<\/span> Bar Bill Advances in State Legislature<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">SAN RAFAEL, Calif.<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">April 24, 2025<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Decades of <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=3793160688&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alcoholjustice.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F02%2FLATE-NIGHT-THREAT-final.pdf&amp;a=evidence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">evidence<\/a> show that late-night alcohol sales bring increases in alcohol-related crime, dangerous driving, and damage to neighborhoods. For this reason, <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=3204638796&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Falcoholjustice.org%2F&amp;a=Alcohol+Justice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Alcohol Justice<\/a> and advocates throughout <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> condemn the rubber-stamping of <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=3927897631&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fleginfo.legislature.ca.gov%2Ffaces%2FbillNavClient.xhtml%3Fbill_id%3D202520260AB342&amp;a=AB+342%2C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">AB 342,<\/a> the <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 A.M.<\/span> Bar Bill, by the <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=102862147&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fagov.assembly.ca.gov%2F&amp;a=California+Assembly+Committee+on+Governmental+Organization\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">California Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization<\/a> (GO).<\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg16caleft\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"width: 100%; text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpg16caleft\" title=\"Alcohol Justice logo.\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/147418\/ALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg\" alt=\"Alcohol Justice logo.\" align=\"middle\"\/><\/div>\n<p>At the hearing on <span class=\"xn-chron\">Wednesday, April 23, 2025<\/span>, seven legislators took principled stands against AB 342, either voting no or refusing to vote entirely: <span class=\"xn-person\">Laurie Davies<\/span> (R- <span class=\"xn-location\">Oceanside<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Diane Dixon<\/span> (R- <span class=\"xn-location\">Newport Beach<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Jesse Gabriel<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Encino<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">James Ramos<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">San Bernardino<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Kate Sanchez<\/span> (R- <span class=\"xn-location\">Rancho Santa Margarita<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Tri Ta<\/span> (R- <span class=\"xn-location\">Westminster<\/span>), and <span class=\"xn-person\">Avelino Valencia<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Anaheim<\/span>). <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=980189241&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fad34.asmrc.org%2F&amp;a=Assemblymember+Tom+Lackey\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Assemblymember <span class=\"xn-person\">Tom Lackey<\/span><\/a> (R- <span class=\"xn-location\">Palmdale<\/span>) also testified against the bill, though he is no longer on the committee.<\/p>\n<p>The remaining 15 discounted testimony from Alcohol Justice, the California Council on Alcohol Problems, the <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=1287250102&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fyourhoac.org%2F&amp;a=Health+Officers+Association+of+California\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Health Officers Association of <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span><\/a>, and others, and voted to send the bill through to the Appropriations Committee. The legislators voting yes on the bill were <span class=\"xn-person\">Blanco Rubio<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">West Covina<\/span>), Chair of the GO Committee, <span class=\"xn-person\">David Alvarez<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Chula Vista<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Marc Berman<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Palo Alto<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Isaac Bryan<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Culver City<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Juan Carrillo<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Palmdale<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Mike Fong<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Alhambra<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Mike Gipson<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Gardena<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Alexandra Macedo<\/span> (R- <span class=\"xn-location\">Visalia<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Tina McKinnor<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Inglewood<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Stephanie Nguyen<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Elk Grove<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Blanca Pacheco<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Downey<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Michelle Rodriguez<\/span> (D- Chino), Jos\u00e9 <span class=\"xn-person\">Luis Solache<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Lakewood<\/span>), <span class=\"xn-person\">Esmeralda Soria<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">Merced<\/span>), and <span class=\"xn-person\">Greg Wallis<\/span> (R- <span class=\"xn-location\">Rancho Mirage<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p><i>&#8220;They had the chance to stand up for their constituents, and they failed to rise to the occasion,&#8221;<\/i>\u00a0said <a href=\"mailto:raulv@alcoholjustice.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"xn-person\">Raul Verdugo<\/span><\/a>, Advocacy Director for Alcohol Justice. <i>&#8220;But this is not the end. As this bill makes its way through <span class=\"xn-location\">Sacramento<\/span>, we will have to work hard to make sure legislators actually hear their constituents and understand the facts. All-night alcohol sales are toxic for our cities.&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p>AB 342 is the latest in a series of legislative attempts, reaching back over 12 years, to extend last call times in <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span>. Each has failed. Despite parliamentary agreements in the legislature that the same bill cannot be reintroduced immediately after failure, State Senator <span class=\"xn-person\">Scott Wiener<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">San Francisco<\/span>) and Assemblymember <span class=\"xn-person\">Matt Haney<\/span> (D- <span class=\"xn-location\">San Francisco<\/span>) insist on returning to the same poison well year after year.<\/p>\n<p>These types of bills are deeply unpopular, with cities like <span class=\"xn-location\">Miami Beach<\/span> that already had extended last call times but then began waging years-long legal fights to restrict them in the face of increasing alcohol-related harms. These risks are apparent to <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span> voters as well\u2014in a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=198117909&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fpatch.com%2Fcalifornia%2Flos-angeles%2Fshould-ca-bars-be-able-serve-drinks-until-4-m-readers-weigh&amp;a=Patch.com+poll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Patch.com poll<\/a>, over 80% of respondents said they opposed pushing alcohol harm into the early morning. In just the past week, Assembly GO Committee members received over 4,000 messages from advocates across the state, expressing opposition to the bill. That may well be because alcohol-related harm has already skyrocketed in <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span>, so much so that the legislature has brought forth another bill <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=2611705025&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fleginfo.legislature.ca.gov%2Ffaces%2FbillNavClient.xhtml%3Fbill_id%3D202520260SB548&amp;a=(SB+548)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">(SB 548)<\/a> mandating the state produce a plan to reduce the toll.<\/p>\n<p>That plan might start with ensuring last call times\u2014which the <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=4016454919&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecommunityguide.org%2Ffindings%2Falcohol-excessive-consumption-maintaining-limits-hours-sale.html&amp;a=U.S.+Community+Preventive+Services+Task+Force\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force<\/a> has long associated with increased violence, dangerous driving, and emergency services use\u2014remain uniform and where they are.<\/p>\n<p>Until then, Alcohol Justice remains committed to ensuring evidence-based, life-saving alcohol policy prevails in <span class=\"xn-location\">California<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><i>&#8220;This bill isn&#8217;t law yet. It&#8217;s a long way to the Governor&#8217;s Desk, and we have the science on our side,&#8221;<\/i>\u00a0said <span class=\"xn-person\">Cruz Avila<\/span>, executive director of Alcohol Justice. <i>&#8220;We will keep speaking out, reaching out, and standing up for the communities in the crosshairs of this bill.&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>CONTACT<\/b>:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<br \/><span class=\"xn-person\">Carson Benowitz-Fredericks<\/span><br \/>(917) 426-6443<br \/>Michael\u00a0Scippa<br \/>(415) 847-3006<br \/><span class=\"xn-person\">Raul Verdugo<\/span><br \/>(310) 6899401\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Logo &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=2933444342&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F147418%2FALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F147418%2FALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/147418\/ALCOHOL_JUSTICE_LOGO_01.jpg<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/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>Dangerous <span class=\"xn-chron\">4 a.m.<\/span> Bar Bill Advances in State Legislature<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-location\">SAN RAFAEL, Calif.<\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"legendSpanClass\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">April 24, 2025<\/span><\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; Decades of &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4413048-1&amp;h=3793160688&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alcoholjustice.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F02%2FLATE-NIGHT-THREAT-final.pdf&amp;a=evidence&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":270699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270698","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=270698"}],"version-history":[{"count":"1","href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270706,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270698\/revisions\/270706"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}