Attachment 5 - Santa Barbara Report Agenda Item: 8
CITY OF SANTA BARBARA
PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION REPORT
AGENDA DATE: April 23, 2008
TO: Parks and Recreation Commission
FROM: Teen Programs, Parks and Recreation Department
SUBJECT: Proposed Social Host Ordinance
RECOMMENDATION: That Commission hears a report from staff regarding a Proposed
Social Host Ordinance under consideration by the City Council Ordinance Committee.
DISCUSSION:
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (ADAP) Teen Coalition, in conjunction with
Council on Drug and Alcohol (CADA) Fighting Back’s Public Policy Task Force, Friday
Night Live, Future Leaders of America, and the Santa Barbara Youth Council is advocating
for passage of a Social Host Ordinance in the City of Santa Barbara.
Background and Accomplishments
The ADAP Teen Coalition, supported by a grant from the County of Santa Barbara
Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services for the past five years, has worked to reduce
underage drinking in the City of Santa Barbara, generally through education and
environmental prevention. Their focus has ranged from gathering local drug and alcohol
data to youth access to alcohol in the retail environment. Currently, their focus has been
on public policy.
As part of this focus, the ADAP Teen Coalition has partnered with several other agencies,
including Fighting Back’s Public Policy Task Force, Future Leaders of America, Friday
Night Live/Club Live, the Santa Barbara Police Department, and the Santa Barbara Youth
Council. With their partners, the ADAP Teen Coalition has performed an extensive review,
conducted research, and gathered support for a Social Host Ordinance in the City of Santa
Barbara. This research has included Peer Focus Groups conducted by ADAP Teen
Coalition members at 4 middle and high schools. It was found that over 90% of the
students said that ‘home’ was the number 1 place to get and consume alcohol, and 80%
saw a direct connection between underage drinking and youth violence. The research also
included gathering data from other cities and counties with existing ordinances, including
the County of Ventura, and cities of Carpinteria and Santa Maria.
Underage drinking costs the nation at least $53 billion a year, mostly because of traffic
deaths and violent crimes, according to a 2003 report by the National Research
Council’s Institute of Medicine. The report, which urged communities to hold hosts
ATTACHMENT 5
Park and Recreation Commission Report
Social Host Ordinance
April 23, 2008
Page 2
accountable for teen drinking, was a catalyst for many recent Social Host Ordinances.
Most cities have focused on the civil liability and have been successful.
Social Host Ordinance
Purchase, possession, or consumption of alcohol by minors in public or commercial
settings is already prohibited under state law. However, state law does not prohibit
youth consumption of alcohol on private property. A Social Host Ordinance is a law that
holds non-commercial individuals responsible for underage drinking at parties, on
property they own, lease, or otherwise control. Establishing a Social Host Ordinance
can fill the gap in the law by providing law enforcement a tool to help address the
problem of underage drinking. It allows law enforcement to pro-actively look at
underage drinking at private parties and allows an officer to cite responsible hosts
before a party becomes unruly. This ordinance also gives the police an additional tool to
remind “hosts” of the ramifications of underage drinking at their party. Currently, officers
can only address parties that are unruly or violate the City’s noise ordinance. Included
in the ordinance, would be exceptions in any such ordinance to protect family, cultural,
and religious events where parents or guardians give their permission for their children
to take part in events which may involve the consumption of alcohol.
On November 5, 2007, the Santa Barbara Youth Council held a workshop on the Social
Host Ordinance. It was the unanimous decision of the Youth Council to endorse the
proposed Ordinance and join the ADAP Teen Coalition to recommend that this matter
be submitted to the City’s Ordinance Committee with the following recommendations:
That there is an educational component to the ordinance in lieu of paying the
fine.
That a portion of any paid fine goes to supporting teen prevention programs and
services
That youth are intricately involved in the drafting of the ordinance and the
educational component.
That an awareness campaign is undertaken to educate the community about the
new ordinance.
On April 8, 2008, Teen Programs, Santa Barbara Youth Council and ADAP gave a
presentation to City Council regarding the Social Host Ordinance. The Council
unanimously approved the recommendation to direct staff to submit a proposed Social
Host Ordinance to the Ordinance Committee for consideration and return with a
recommendation to Council. It was also recommended that a Santa Barbara Youth
Council and ADAP member serve on the Ordinance Committee during meetings when
the ordinance was being discussed. It is expected to take a few months to complete the
draft ordinance.
Park and Recreation Commission Report
Social Host Ordinance
April 23, 2008
Page 3
PREPARED BY: Susan Young, Recreation Supervisor
SUBMITTED BY: Sarah Hanna, Recreation Programs Manager
APPROVED BY: Nancy L. Rapp, Parks and Recreation Director