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Police Propose 'Social
Host' Law
Ordinance would limit
alcohol where minors are present
by Alexandria Rocha
Palo Alto's campaign against teen drinking might have
caught up to the problem last week, near the end of a
year full of controversy over minors consuming alcohol.
Prompted by events -- including the fatal July car crash
of Gunn sophomore Garth Li and the citation of two Palo
Alto parents for hosting an October party where dozens
of Palo Alto high school students were caught drinking
-- more than 100 parents, students and community members
attended an expert panel on the topic last Thursday.
Palo Alto Police Chief Lynne Johnson delivered the most
staggering news of the night: Police are developing a "social
host" ordinance that would make it illegal to have
alcohol at a party where a certain number of minors are
present. The ordinance would require approval from the
City Council.
"The police department has the responsibility of
trying to prevent the too many tragedies we've seen in
this city related to teens and drinking," Johnson
said. "I've always been a very strong believer that
teens should not drink until
they're 21."
Johnson was joined on the panel by Dr. David Gregg,
a Stanford Hospital trauma surgeon; Carol Zepecki, the
school district's director of student services; Brenda
Stern, program director for a substance abuse treatment
program at Adolescent Counseling Services; and Deputy
District Attorney Jay Boyarsky.
Boyarsky set the tone for the meeting, saying: "Don't
give alcohol to people under 21. And I'm speaking as
the chief prosecutor in this area."
In the last few years, the Palo Alto school district
and Stanford University have introduced a variety of
programs to curb underage drinking and alcohol abuse.
The district has continued its program called "social
norming," which is meant to show teens that "not
everybody's doing it." Stanford began requiring
all incoming freshmen to take an online educational course
in alcohol abuse this year.
Despite those efforts and a variety of others, the issue
remains.
About 60 underage kids were brought into the Stanford
Hospital emergency room in the last fiscal year for alcohol
intoxication, said Gregg. And those were "local
kids," he said, not Stanford students.
In 2005, Johnson said there were 20 minors arrested
for being drunk in public, 24 arrested for having alcohol
in their possession and two arrested for driving under
the influence.
"We average about two very serious incidents a
year with a serious injury or a death of a teen related
to drinking," Johnson said.
She added that a 2005 alcohol-related car crash that
killed the driver and paralyzed the passenger was the
most "horrific accident" she has seen in her
career. Both victims were under 21.
Many efforts to decrease underage drinking have in the
past focused on teens. October's incident and last week's
panel, however, shifted some of the spotlight onto the
parents.
Stern said only half of the students who are referred
to her substance-abuse program end up getting treated.
"A lot of that is denial that there is a problem
in this community," she said. "Substance abuse
is not about the substance. It's about other issues,
and we don't admit that because we're afraid someone
next door will know we have addiction in the neighborhood."
A student from Los Gatos asked the panelists whether
the heavy pressure put on academics is contributing to
the problem.
"Maybe drinking is a way to release," he said.
Stern told the teen there are much better activities
for reducing stress than drinking, such as going to Great
America.
"Substance abuse is a coping strategy, so why is
it also celebratory for you?" Stern asked the student
rhetorically.
A parent in the audience stood up in the teen's defense.
"A student here spoke up and no one paid attention
and answered his question," she said. "I really
think the parents need to listen to the kids. This is
a stressful community."
The two parents who hosted the Oct. 29 party -- a Palo
Verde Elementary School teacher and her husband, a Stanford
University engineer -- were cited for contributing to
the delinquency of a minor and are scheduled to appear
in court Dec. 18.
Staff Writer Alexandria Rocha can be e-mailed at arocha@paweekly.com.
Printed with permission by the Palo Alto Weekly
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