Charge For Harm Rally to Pass California AB 1019

Legislation Creates The Alcohol-Related Services Program Funded by a New Statewide Alcohol Mitigation Fee on Big Alcohol

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

What: News Conference and Rally

When: January 5, 2010 11:00 a.m.

Where: West Steps, California State Capitol Building, Sacramento (If bad weather-Rm. 317)

Who: Partial list of participants...

• Assembly Member Jim Beall (D-San Jose)
• Bruce Lee Livingston, Executive Director, Marin Institute
• Willie Pelote, AFSCME California
• John Hanley, San Francisco Firefighters Local 798
• Tom Renfree, CADPAAC (County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators' Association of California)
• Demi Climax and Paul Vancea, San Diego County Youth Council
• SEIU 1021
• California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Problems
• Drug Policy Alliance
• Mental Health Association in California
• CARA (California Alliance for Retired Americans)
• LA-CAP (Los Angeles Coalition on Alcohol Policy)
• AADAP (Asian American Drug Abuse Programs)
• Friday Night Live
• The Latino Commission (Bay Area)
• AWARE Coalition/Tarzana Treatment Centers

Why: To advocate for the passage of AB 1019, the Alcohol-Related Services Act - Authored by Assembly Member Jim Beall (D-San Jose), the bill creates the Alcohol-Related Services Program within the California Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs. The program will be funded by a $1.44 billion annual mitigation fee on Big Alcohol to help cover California's annual alcohol-related trauma care, hospitalization, treatment, prevention, and criminal justice costs. The bill will be voted on in the Assembly Health Committee at 1:30 P.M.

To understand the astronomical annual $38.4 billion dollar cost of alcohol-related harm in California, and the effects on a chronically under-funded health care system and the residents of the state.

To acknowledge the Charge for Harm Alliance - a diverse statewide network of concerned individuals, treatment and prevention service providers, cities, counties, public health departments, enforcement, labor, youth and faith-based groups determined to pass a fair and meaningful alcohol-harm mitigation fee in California.

ChargeForHarm.org

Contact: Michael Scippa 415/548-0492

Jorge Castillo 213/840-3336

SOURCE Marin Institute