City councilman advocates for more stringent laws against
parents allowing alcohol use
Looking to tighten the rules prohibiting adults from furnishing
alcohol to minors rather than looking the other way when alcohol is
used by those under 21, a Hollister city councilman is advocating
for a stricter
”
social host ordinance.
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City councilman advocates for more stringent laws against parents allowing alcohol use
Looking to tighten the rules prohibiting adults from furnishing alcohol to minors rather than looking the other way when alcohol is used by those under 21, a Hollister city councilman is advocating for a stricter “social host ordinance.”
At a recent meeting, first-term councilman and local Papa Murphy’s Pizza franchise owner Victor Gomez asked city staff to research such an ordinance in an effort to encourage adults to be more responsible when teens have access to alcohol.
“I started doing the research when I first got elected and I noticed that a lot of other cities and counties throughout the state have adopted” similar rules, which provide additional penalties for adults who either directly supply alcohol to teens or don’t prohibit consumption on their property, Gomez said.
“I noticed that a lot of the areas with social host ordinances have colleges or universities nearby so it pinpointed areas that have a high amount of alcohol consumption,” he said. “Rural areas also have a problem, so that’s why it might be a good idea to move forward on the idea locally.”
In discussions with local health and law enforcement issues, Gomez said numerous agencies are interested in bringing more awareness to the issue of underage alcohol use and abuse.
“I remember growing up in Hollister how easy it was to go to a birthday party or graduation party and having access to alcohol,” he said. “That’s not saying the adults at those parties were OK with minors drinking, but alcohol was so easily accessible. I don’t feel the adults felt the responsibility to monitor alcohol use. Being in a rural county and city, alcohol consumption is higher. [The proposed ordinance] is definitely something that would help our area.”
Hollister Police Sgt. David Westrick said the city has a social host ordinance in place but Gomez’s plan could add an alcohol provision that would broaden its penalties.
“Having a social host ordinance could strengthen the position of the police department,” Westrick said, noting that there are already laws on the books related to loud and unruly parties and that it is already a crime for adults to provide alcohol to minors.
“Anything we can do to increase child safety is something we want to look into,” he said, adding that an updated social host ordinance would serve multiple purposes. “It does educate the public and allows officers to take an extra step. We don’t have that in the current municipal code.”
Gomez said City Attorney Stephanie Atigh is researching the potential language of such an ordinance.
Cities such as Gilroy and Morgan Hill in recent years adopted social host rules of their own.
Gilroy’s ordinance, adopted in 2008, imposes fines of up to $1,000 on adults who serve alcohol to minors at house parties and is designed to discourage teenage parties in which alcohol is served.
Morgan Hill’s social host ordinance went into effect in 2007. It also fines adults up to $1,000 and threatens jail time for those who provide safe haven for underage drinkers. The rules also state that adults cited under the ordinance could be forced to pay thousands of additional dollars to cover emergency, fire and police costs incurred when crews respond to an incident or accident involving underage drinkers who were provided alcohol by an adult.
A stricter social host ordinance in Hollister “would give police officers some room to lay the responsibility of underage drinking on folks who are being irresponsible with the handling of their alcohol,” Gomez said. “There are responsible parents who leave their alcohol in a locked cupboard, but I don’t see how this [updated ordinance] would not be effective if it laid more responsibility on parents or people that are having parties.”
Public outreach and education would be a part of the creation and implementation of such an ordinance, according to Gomez, who said he would work with various agencies to get the information out.
“Perhaps we’ll conduct some town hall meetings and get some response from the public to find out what impact it would have on the community,” he said, adding that he hopes to have the stricter rules on the books by next summer, just in time for graduation parties.
