California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) press briefing to hold Governor Newsom accountable for COVID-19 response failure of making alcohol "essential"

SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) will hold a virtual press event tomorrow to acknowledge California Governor Gavin Newsom's failure to make public health and safety essential by instead making alcohol essential in the state.

What:   Virtual Press Event with Simultaneous Spanish Translation
When:  Wednesday July 22, 2020, 10 - 10:45 a.m.
Where: On-line -- Zoom Call ? pre-registration required:   http://bit.ly/2AZfBWp_CAPA
Who:

• Veronica De Lara, Co-Chair, California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) ? Event MC
• Carson Benowitz-Fredericks, Research Manager, Alcohol Justice
• Northern California Youth, Contra Costa Youth Health Coalition
• Richard Zaldivar, Chair, Alcohol Justice Board of Directors, Founder/E.D., The Wall - Las Memorias Project
• Southern California Youth, Future Leaders of America
• Brenda Villanueva, Co-Chair, Los Angeles Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance (LADAPA)
• Gilbert Mora, Co-Chair, California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA)

Why:   As the Coronavirus rages across California, another health-related problem is also creeping up. Alcohol consumption is increasing as ways to get alcohol are easing. This indicates a serious failure in California by the Governor and the top state agencies reporting to him to acknowledge and address public health and safety concerns of making alcohol essential during the pandemic. The catastrophic annual alcohol-related harms that already plague the state have been dismissed along with the rise in those harms being experienced now that alcohol was deemed essential.

Under Governor Newsom, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has stated its priority is "economic recovery". It has ignored arguments of concern for public health. Since the beginning of the pandemic shutdown, under this dubious guise of economic relief,  the ABC has deregulated and relaxed enforcement to help alcohol licensed establishments continue to operate. These dangerous, revenue-driven policy changes have promoted increased alcohol sales and consumption during the stay-at-home orders. They include allowing home deliveries with ineffective age verification, cocktails-to-go, expanding sales into public spaces, and the normalization of drinking during a public health emergency of massive proportions.  

In addition, under Governor Newsom, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has apparently approved these measures instead of considering the harms associated with increased alcohol consumption at this time: impaired judgement, financial difficulties, increasing domestic violence,  increasing vulnerability to Coronavirus by weakening the immune system, and the general negative effects on mental health.

With this event, CAPA is launching a public CALL to ACTION to ask the Governor to closely re-examine California's  relationship with Big Alcohol, acknowledge that excessive alcohol use is No. 3 on the list of preventable causes of death in the state and to rescind the ABC's COVID-19 regulatory rollbacks for economic relief. It's time to make public health essential, not alcohol.

California currently suffers over 10,500 alcohol-related deaths, 165,000 alcohol-related hospitalizations and $35 billion in related economic harm.

The California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) unites diverse organizations and communities in California to protect health and safety, and prevent alcohol-related harm through statewide action.

CAPA Member Organizations

• Alcohol Justice
• Alcohol-Narcotics Education Foundation of California
• ADAPP, Inc.
• ADAPT San Ramon Valley
• Bay Area Community Resources
• Behavioral Health Services, Inc.
• CA Council on Alcohol Problems
• CASA for Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods
• Center for Human Development
• Center for Open Recovery
• DogPAC of San Francisco
• Dolores Huerta Foundation
• Eden Youth & Family Center
• Institute for Public Strategies
• FASD Network of Southern CA
• FreeMUNI ? SF
• Friday Night Live Partnership
• Koreatown Youth & Community Center
• Laytonville Healthy Start
• L.A. County Friday Night Live
• L.A. Drug & Alcohol Policy Alliance
• L.A. County Office of Education
• Lutheran Office of Public Policy ? CA
• MFI Recovery Center
• Mountain Communities Family Resource Center
• National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse
• National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence ? Orange County
• Partnership for a Positive Pomona
• Paso por Paso, Inc.
• Project SAFER
• Pueblo y Salud
• Reach Out
• San Marcos Prevention Coalition
• San Rafael Alcohol & Drug Coalition
• SAY San Diego
• Saving Lives Drug & Alcohol Coalition
• South Orange County Coalition
• Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc.
• The Wall Las Memorias Project
• UCEPP Social Model Recovery Systems
• Women Against Gun Violence
• Youth For Justice

For Media Availability of event speakers, please contact Mayra Jimenez: 323 683-4687, or [email protected]

SOURCE California Alcohol Policy Alliance