The Lake County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted an ordinance aimed at curbing underage drinking during its Tuesday, June 10, meeting.
The ordinance holds adults hosts of social gatherings where minors drink alcohol responsible for the cost to law enforcement agencies to respond. After making its debut before the board in December 2007, the ordinance was revised to say absentee property owners will not be held responsible.
“The ordinance requires intent, a knowing,” County Counsel Anita Grant told the board.
The ordinance holds social hosts responsible, and defines a social host as an adult who allows anyone younger than 21 to drink one or more alcoholic beverages on property owned or controlled by the adult. Landlords will not be held liable in the revised ordinance.
Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell said the ordinance does not give law enforcement officers greater power to collect information to establish probable cause for charging someone, but allows an avenue for reimbursement for the cost of services.
“What we would hope is that this would change the way situations are reported to us by neighbors and community members, where they might know that we have a broader ability for response, and perhaps prevention,” Mitchell said.
The ordinance does not define reimbursement fees for law enforcement response, but charges fines ranging between $100 and $500 for providing alcohol to minors.
Mitchell said his department handled approximately 160 cases of underage drinking in 2007, but had not collected data on how many of those were at social gatherings described in the ordinance.
Former Clearlake Mayor Judy Thein spoke to the board about the need for the ordinance.
“Most everyone knows that my daughter was killed as a result of an alcohol-related tragedy. She was a passenger in a vehicle,” Thein said. Thien headed up Team DUI, which is a multi-agency task force designed to combat driving under the influence of alcohol. Lakeport and Clearlake had similar ordinances. she said.
“We have to step up to the plate to do what we can to help a parent realize their lack of responsibility has consequences. If we irresponsibly allow a child to drink, that child could become capable of murder,” Thein said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
