Proposed San Marcos Ordinance Would Require Training and Certification in Responsible Beverage Service
In San Marcos, the San Diego county funded North Inland Community Prevention Program (NICPP) is pushing for the passage of an ordinance which would require businesses in San Marcos that sell alcoholic beverages to have their employees trained and certified in responsible beverage service.
A report published in 2007 by San Diego's Health and Human Service Agency identified a number of bars and restaurants in San Marcos as the last place that numerous DUI program participants purchased alcoholic beverages prior to being arrested for driving under the influence. NICPP director Clark Kiser has stated that the proposed ordinance is designed to encourage the city to take a closer look at establishments that are having difficulties transitioning from restaurants to nightclubs. By requiring training of all employees who serve alcoholic beverages, the more likely it is that those establishments will not serve to excess, which hopefully will lead to a drop in DUI arrests.
Underage drinking is also an issue which would be addressed by the new ordinance. According to evidence collected through a number of local sting operations conducted by the Alcoholic Beverage Control department (ABC), twenty one percent of San Marcos bars and restaurants sold alcohol to underage drinkers and twelve percent of adults purchased alcoholic beverages that were handed off to underage drinkers. The NICPP has stated that responsible beverage sales and service training would help to cut down on the number of underage drinkers and individuals who over-consume by teaching servers how to detect false IDs and how to properly refuse service to heavily intoxicated drinkers.
Currently, the Alcoholic Beverage Control department (ABC) offers free responsible beverage sales and service certification training, however, the training is not required by San Diego County. Last year, ABC trained nearly eighteen thousand alcohol servers across the state of California.
The Student and Neighborhood Relations Commission (SNRC) held a meeting in July to discuss the feasibility of the proposed ordinance. Deputy City Manager Lydia Romero stated that the city attorney and code compliance department would render their decision on the ordinance after collecting input from stakeholders and the public. The staff report is tentatively scheduled for presentation during the Student and Neighborhood Relations Commission's October 13 meeting.
Similar ordinances to the one proposed in San Marcos have been passed in nearby Poway and Solana Beach.
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