Advocates Rally in San Francisco to Support a Charge for Harm Alcohol Mitigation Fee

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CONTACT: Michael J. Scippa (415) 548-0492
Jorge Castillo (213) 840-3336

Advocates Rally in San Francisco to Support a
Charge for Harm Alcohol Mitigation Fee

Local Ordinance will help City Recover $17.7 Million in Alcohol-Related Health Care Costs

What: News Conference and Rally

When: August 4, 2010, 10:00 a.m.

Where: San Francisco City Hall (Polk Street steps)

Who (partial list of invited participants):

• John Avalos, Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco
• Sophie Maxwell, Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco
• Ross Mirkarimi, Supervisor, City and County of San Francisco
• Reverend Norman Fong, Program Director, Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC)
• Tom O’Connor, President, San Francisco Firefighters Local 798
• Mitch Katz, M.D., Director of San Francisco Department of Public Health
• Larry Bevan, President, SEIU 1021
• Michael Rokeach, M.D., President, San Francisco Medical Society
• Dr. Mimi Silbert, President & CEO, Delancey Street
• Richard Jimenez, M.A., Vice President, Development, Walden House
• Jim Illig, President, San Francisco Health Commission
• Hene Kelly, Legislative Director, California Alliance for Retired Americans (CARA)
• Michele Simon, Research & Policy Director, Marin Institute
• Deborah Camarillo, Executive Director, Latino Commission
• Laura Thomas, Deputy State Director, Drug Policy Alliance
• Jimmy Loyce, Executive Director, Black Coalition on Aids
• Arthur Bosse, Executive Director, National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions (NCADA)
• Matt Rosen, Youth Leadership Institute (YLI)

Why:

To advocate for the passage of California’s first Charge for Harm local ordinance to assess alcohol wholesalers, distributors and others for a portion of San Francisco’s alcohol-related harm. Introduced by Supervisor John Avalos and cosponsored by Supervisors Sophie Maxwell and Russ Mirkarimi, the measure is supported by a San Francisco Controller’s “nexus” study that detailed over $17 million in costs to city funded services like treatment, prevention, medical transport and hospitalization for alcohol related illness. The fee ordinance will be discussed in a SF Board of Supervisors Finance Committee hearing at 11 a.m. in the Board’s main chambers.

To help the public understand the astronomical annual cost of alcohol-related harm in San Francisco, and the effects on a chronically under-funded health care system.

To elevate visibility of the Charge for Harm movement – a rapidly growing, diverse, statewide constituency of concerned individuals, treatment and prevention service providers, cities, counties, public health officials, enforcement, labor, community, youth and faith-based groups determined to pass fair and meaningful alcohol-harm mitigation fees in California.

ChargeForHarm.org