Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Michael Scippa 415/257-2490;
Jorge Castillo 213/840-3336
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, CA (January 5, 2010) ---
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.
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