By Nicole Shine,/Garden Grove Journal
Is a social host ordinance in the works for Garden Grove?
Mayor Bruce Broadwater said Tuesday night that the council would take a look at fining adults—including parents—who serve drinks to minors.
“I’ve heard about children drinking at home and I think it’s ridiculous,” Broadwater said after the meeting. “The parents are putting children in harm’s way and themselves too if something happens.”
In the last few years, social-host ordinances have cropped up in a few Orange County cities. Last month, Huntington Beach adopted one—with a $250 fine for first-time violators–following on the heels of Mission Viejo, Laguna Beach and Laguna Hills.
The ordinances deter parents who might serve minors and give police another enforcement tool, explained Dana Mann, the Garden Grove resident who proposed the measure.
With a daughter at Pacifica High School and a son who recently graduated, Mann said she often hears about under-age drinking. After doing some homework, she learned that more than half of teens who drink do so at a friend’s house. Parents might be aware of the drinking, Mann said, but that doesn’t help when several teens are involved.
“How could a parent possibly monitor all the kids drinking and make sure they get home safely?” she asked the council. “They can’t.”
She urged the council to adopt the ordinance before June’s prom season.
Also Tuesday, the council recognized Pringle’s Draperies and Blinds as the March 2013 Outstanding Business Honoree. The company was founded in 1980 by Larry and Caroline Pringle, parents to former California Assemblyman Curt Pringle.
Contact the writer on Twitter @nicolekshine.
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My question to the council is….why would there be any objection to this ordinance being put into place in GG? What is the argument against it?
I would challenge any council member who doesn’t want this in place to explain themselves. How can you campaign for safety and well being of the residents of GG and not back it up with actions? How can you make promises that things will get better in our city if we dont make changes to make it a safer place to live?
This is a no brainer. I would like to see it pass and pass quickly. Show us all that government at this level can move swiftly and not get bogged down by BS committees and research groups.
Every year I read some horrific story around May or June about some promising student who was killed on their prom night or graduation night for whatever reason…It happens every year. I would love for it to never happen again, but one can only wish for that. I am sure that alcohol is involved in a large % of teen driving fatalities. We can do something about it right now. We are not talking about taking away someones personal rights. We are talking about saving lives.
All I know is we live in a city where this is happening…as there are inappropriate parents who are letting the kids drink under their roofs. They could very well be your own friends and neighbors. Worse than that, they could be your kids friends parents! The only way we stop this is to create a buzz and pass laws like these as a deterrent. If it saves one life, thats all that matters. That one life could be someone you love.