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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.