GMW reporting-RTC shooting
2/21 Mike Bierman, Petaluma City Manager The State of the City of Petaluma
2/28 Mary Stompe-Bill Fishman, PEP Housing Senior Housing in Petaluma
3/7 Rueben Arminana, President Sonoma State University
Hope every one had a Happy Valentines Day everyone!
Russell opens the meeting......Forrest leads the flag pledge.
Quote for the Day:
Julie Rustad quotes Aristotle- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”
Secret Toucher: Russell Rice
Guests:
Robert Reed, Novato Rotary
Peter Wolf, Sebastopol Rotary
Adrienne Pascal
Collette Bizal, Sunrise Rotary
Monica- Work Readiness Program,
first week March, need volunteers to help CGHS students practice job interviews.
Fines
Walt celebrates his birthday and dings Chuck Lewis!
Kevin Downey,
Bob Hill,
and Deni celebrate their kids birthdays.
Sue escapes un-fined!
Cash 4 Cash $5k Raffle Kick off today-
Sandra announced teams and captains..and passed out the tickets to be sold. May the best team win....and then we all win! Sell those tickets!!!!
Announcements
2/17 Ethnic night with Shadi’s uncle who plays the 72 string zitar and Shadi as singer in this fund raiser to benefit at risk kids program.
(It was sold out and a wonderful evening of music and dance....Congratulations, Shadi!)
3/17 Petaluma Sunrise Rotary Pot O Gold Party, 6pm, Hermann’s Hall.
3/17 Guerneville Rotary Crab Feed
3/31 Mentor Me Mad Hatter Fund raising event- need volunteer to sell raffle tickets.
4/14 District Assembly, 8:30-4pm Sat. Friday nite reception.
4/29 Tenth Anniv Chili Cook off for Cinnabar 1-5pm
5/18 District Conference
5/24 PVR Golf Tourney and Cash 4 Cash Raffle Drawing
Raffle: Over $977 in the pot- few marbles in the bag.....
Pamela draws but alas no luck. She also draws the ten spot- lucky lady!
Guest Speaker:
Pat Landrum of Healthy Community Consortium
on the Petaluma Alcohol Business Standards Ordinance
With the redevelopment of downtown Petaluma, consequences of the 108 on-sale alcohol outlets, both bars and restaurants, in such a relatively small geographic area are becoming apparent in patron drinkers engage in loud, unruly, vandalistic, and nuisance behavior. On a number of occasions last year, the sheer number of intoxicated drinkers resulted in near riots downtown requiring multiple jurisdictional law enforcement response especially during weekend or holiday evenings. The PPD was forced to shift duty officers to patrolling downtown on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nites, reducing resources in other parts of the city. In addition, outlet problems were not limited to bars and restaurants- off-sale outlets reported that 23% of 11th grades buy alcohol at a store
A coalition of members from law enforcement, business, resident, and education communities formed to address this problem. The Petaluma Coalition to Prevent Underage and High Risk Drinking made observations of drinking in the downtown area, identifying young adults engaged in high levels of drunkenness, fights, vandalisms, excessive noise and other problems related to binge drinking such as DUI, unsafe and unwanted sex, increased domestic violence, depressions, and suicide behavior. HCC facilitates the Coalition meetings.
Using monies from a California State incentive grant, the coalition attempts to address this problem using an environmental prevention strategy (not individual people one) focusing on changing physical, social, and political settings where problems occur. The result is to bring up an Alcohol Business Standards (ABS) Ordinance for passage in Petaluma. The ABS allows the city to enforce exisiting state law. It would change the legal status of existing alcohol beverage establishments enabling them to operate as long as they do not create a public nuisance. The ABS is a powerful nuisance abatement tool designed to address the public health and safety issues of alcohol related problems. It has been used in other cities effectively- in 1998, Vallejo passed their ABS and saw a 53% reduction in alcohol related police calls. Santa Rosa, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Oxnard saw successes.
The ABS calls for alcohol outlet staff to participate in state certified Responsible Beverage Service Programs (RBS) training, merchant education meetings to understand the standards, and periodic checks by law enforcement to ensure compliance. A review of an alcohol outlet is triggered when someone registers a complaint- the ordinance gives a clear process by which complaints are investigated as well as suggested steps to have the establisment come back into compliance. Recommended actions might be improving lighting or hiring security- if the business does not come back into compliance in a specific time, a public hearing would include sanctions or fines. The law enforcement and administrative costs associated with an ABS would be in part funded by an annual fee collected from the alcohol outlets matched by city funds. The city would also use it in its facilities such as limiting out of control behaviors at Luchessi Center.
In addition to ABS, the Coalition recommends for parents or students a Parents Pledge whereby parents make a commitment to not serve alcohol at home parties as well as a Social Host Ordinance which would make adults responsible for any alcohol related nuisance and enforcement calls.
The City Council must pass the ABS for it to take effect. HCC recommends contacting your city council member voicing your support, come to a coalition meeting and get involved, or contact HCC with your interest (www.healthycommunity.info).
Ciao until next time.