CAPA: Mothers Rally To Stop Wiener's 4 A.M. Bar Bill At Calif. State Assemblymember Blanca Rubio's District Office

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LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) will hold an opposition rally at the West Covina district office of California State Assemblymember Blanca Rubio on Monday morning July 1, 2019 at 10 a.m.

The community is concerned because Assemblymember Rubio has received over $47,000 in campaign contributions from the alcohol and hospitality industries from companies including Anheuser-Busch InBev, California Beer & Beverage Distributors, Diageo, MillerCoors, and California Hotel and Lodging Association. The community believes public health and safety is being compromised by the influence of this money. The community stands in opposition to state bill SB 58, Senator Wiener's third attempt in three years to disrupt the protections of a statewide uniform last call by giving 10 cities, in a so-called "pilot program," the ability to extend hours of alcohol sales in bars, restaurants and clubs. This is not a benefit to community; this is a benefit to private and corporate interests.

In 2018, Blanca Rubio voted to pass a nearly identical version of the bill – Senator Wiener's SB 905 -- which Governor Brown vetoed, saying "I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem."  The rally is a call to action to Assemblymember Rubio to VOTE NO on SB 58 to better represent the children and families of the 48^th Assembly District. The community will not allow the alcohol and hospitality industry to influence the public health and safety of families across California.

What:   Rally / Media Event 
When:  Monday July 1, 2019, 10:00-11:00am
Where: 100 Barranca Street, West Covina, CA 91791
Who:

• CA Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA)
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
• El Monte Community Leaders
• Los Angeles Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance
• Pueblo y Salud

Why:   SB 58 would allow closing times for on-sale retailers to be extended from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. as part of a "pilot program" conducted by the ABC. The pilot program may be conducted in ten cities: San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Cathedral City, Coachella, Palm Springs and Fresno.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), California already suffers more annual alcohol-related harm than any other state: over 10,500 alcohol-related deaths, $35 billion in total costs, $14.5 billion in state costs.

Alcohol Justice and the California Alcohol Policy Alliance have taken a strong OPPOSE position on SB 58 and respectfully ask that this dangerous nightlife experiment be stopped. California taxpayers do not need to pay for additional public health and safety harms in order to profit the nightlife industry.

SB 58 Quick Facts

• Is a poorly conceived and inadequately funded pilot project
• Strips away uniform protections of 2 a.m. last call
• Costs the state at least $3-4 million per year to administer, mitigate the harm, and clean the blood off the highway; costs cities and towns in "Splash Zones" millions more
• Disregards 40 years of peer-reviewed, public health research on the dangers of extending last call
• Ignores $34 billion in annual alcohol-related harm in California
• Subsidizes and rewards late-night alcohol-sellers at tax-payer expense

Read

• https://www.losangelesblade.com/2019/05/30/california-should-not-extend-bar-hours-to-4-a-m/
• https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-koretz-4am-bar-bill-20190426-story.html
• https://dailybruin.com/2019/04/18/risk-of-alcohol-related-incidents-outweighs-potential-benefits-of-proposed-bill/

CAPA Member Organizations

CONTACT: Raul Verdugo 310 689-9401      

SOURCE California Alcohol Policy Alliance