By Xavier Flores, AOD Project Director, Pueblo y Salud, Inc.
On Sept. 2, 2015, the Palmdale City Council took the first step in adopting strong alcohol control policy that has the potential for reducing alcohol availability in certain areas of the city. These areas are experiencing serious alcohol-related problems. The most salient of these is the high incidence of violent crime which is 12 times the city norm in some of the same locations where alcohol outlets are the densest.
Whether or not the new policy changes will have any impact at all or whether they will go the way of so many policies previously adopted by the City Council we have yet to see.
The Palmdale Prevention Community Council (PCC) which has overseen the policy advocacy effort for the past 2.5 years has every intention of seeing this effort through to its fruition. Now that the first step has been accomplished, it plans to encourage the development and implementation of a program intended to outreach to and educate the alcohol retailer as well as the community as a whole. It also aims to ensure enforcement of all alcohol-related policies, be it federal, state or local.
The intent of future environmental prevention efforts is to provide all 150 alcohol retailers in the city with the knowledge and training to serve alcohol in the most responsible way possible. In this way, the PCC intends to work with local business in a partnership that should ultimately benefit business as well as the community.
Funding for this project will hopefully come from a fee that will be charged to the alcohol retailer. This will happen only if there is political will on the part of City Council. The fee can be structured in tiers according to the amount and time that alcohol is sold. For example, a restaurant that sells a minimum amount of alcohol only as incidental to the sale of food might fall under tier one and would pay the lowest fee. On the other hand, a bar/nightclub whose sale of alcohol is primary, which sells only alcohol and no food, may be charged the highest fee amount.
Since one of the main objectives is to create good business partners, it will be part and parcel of future efforts to recognize and commend exemplary businesses that demonstrate a genuine interest in the welfare of the community and go about their business in the most responsible manner possible.
There have been a few detractors who believe these efforts are anti-business and others who believe we cannot reduce alcohol consumption and the resulting problems. Though it is true that these efforts have focused to benefit the youth of our city, it is clear that they have the potential to impact positively on all of us. A safer and healthier community is better for everyone including business. Whether these efforts are successful will depend immensely, almost exclusively, on the support of the community.
The Prevention Community Council asks for your continued support. Together we can make our communities healthier and safer places to live, work and recreate.
For this reason, we encourage your attendance and support at the next City Council meeting on Oct. 7, at 7 p.m., during which a final reading of the proposed ordinance will take place.
Previous related stories:
Palmdale residents invited to support strong alcohol control policy
Community sends clear urgent message: ‘Our children are being hurt!’
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The AV Times.
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Beer Thirty says
PyS is just looking for some gov’t cheese to keep them up and running.
Bill says
You have that right! They say they offer their (mandated by local ordinances) responsible servers training for free. Easy to be generous when 99.86% of your funding is from taxpayers. What PyS calls free cost taxpayers over 2 million dollars in grants to PyS in 2009-2013. They need more of these ordinances for cheese security.
Ryan Hunt says
I couldn’t let it stand at just 12 comments, so here is the 13th…
Anne says
The ordinance was passed at the September City Council meeting. There is no second reading at the October meeting.
Ryan Hunt says
Nature intended for cannibus to be eaten not smoked. There would be no cancer cell development in humans if cannibus was introduced into our regular diet. All other forms of use are mind altering and are consciousness inhibiting even though initially a perception of consciousness expansion is experienced. It should not be abused.
Ryan Hunt says
Alcohol should be only used for ritualistic special occasions in the form of wine, otherwise it should be unattainable in any other form. The fact it is available in other forms is an intentional introduction to a population of a consciousness inhibiting substance for the purpose of being used as a tool for manipulation, period. Truth, ouch.
Anon says
If Pueblo Y Salud is truly serious about addressing alcohol issues it should focus on Mayor Parris and the multitude of alcohol laden events he and his yes men put on. From the fair to Celebrate America to Streets of Lancaster to Field of Drafts, Lancaster promotes drinking with no limitations at every turn.
Xavier Flores says
We agree that all of what you mention is a problem, especially in an area suffering from health disparities at the rate that we are and when those health disparities are specifically attributable to alcohol and tobacco use. Though we would like to address these other issues as well, please know that we are an agency of two staff in the AV whose target geographic area is Palmdale, not Lancaster.
There is another agency like ours targeting Lancaster, the Tarzana Treatment Center. They are recruiting members to their Coalition as we speak. Perhaps you would like to join their Coalition to address some of these issues. Their number is 661-726-2630 x 4115.
Anon says
There is more work that needs to be done regarding alcohol abuse and proliferation in Lancaster than in Palmdale. Tarzana Treatment Center does good work but nothing in regards to the alcohol laden nature of the events in Lancaster. The largest church, Lancaster Baptist, which wields enormous political influence, does nothing. Our mayor talks of building a Christian community while he proposes to close the homeless shelter downtown, and supports alcohol laden events.
T says
And weed is still illegal why?
Eric says
At this point, I’d say that domino is half tipped over. Colorado made a nice chunk of change, and the rest of the states are turning green with envy. Legalization should reappear on the CA 2016 ballot. Legalization is now a basic litmus test for political candidates; if they oppose it, they’ll likely oppose your rights as a human being at other junctures.
Tim Scott says
Note that at least one Republican Presidential candidate is running on “State law be damned, if I’m president federal law will be enforced in Colorado.”
William says
It’s still amazing that a naturally occurring plant life is made illegal to possess or use in this country, the land of the ‘free’. LOL
Jim says
Gee, Another progressive tax to fix a problem Mr. Flores? Who gets the contract for the program, the PCC? What salary would you draw from this new tax to implement the new program?
Billions have been thrown at the drug war and look where we are. The solution is simple. Limit the number of retail licenses in a geographic area. Costs nothing, but still requires the council to do their job. If an existing retailer is a problem then the state should withdraw their license.
I have enough people reaching into my pocket. Keep your hands out!
Xavier Flores says
No one from Pueblo y Salud or the Palmdale Prevention Community Council will receive any monetary compensation from the fee that is being proposed for all alcohol retailers in Palmdale. The fee will be used to provide training to the business owners and their employees to be more responsible in the way they sell alcohol. It will also go to monitor the alcohol retailers and ensure that all alcohol ordinance provisions are being enforced. That’s it. Pueblo y Salud may provide some of the training but our services will be free of charge as has been the case in the past.
We agree that it would be very helpful if the City would limit the number of retail licenses in the City. So far, we’ve only been able to get them to limit liquor stores in a certain area of the City. Though this is a good step, we need more. But be careful in jumping to conclusions about our goals, no one is pushing prohibition or complete removal of all alcohol outlets in the City.
Bill Homan says
If you eliminated 100% of the liquor licenses in zip code 93550 do you believe that problem drinkers prone to violence would moderate their consumption? Is it not more likely they would go to any nearby drug store, grocery store, or Walmart?
PyS successfully lobbied San Fernando to reduce liquor licenses from 75 to 53. A lot of jobs were lost. That was 16 years ago. Has consumption been reduced?