Newport Bans Alcohol, Tobacco Sales at Races
Citing “a greater principle” than profit, the Newport Beach City Council has banned the sale of alcohol and tobacco during bike and foot races that include participants under the age of 21.
The council also voted unanimously Monday to prohibit sponsorship of such races by alcohol or tobacco companies. The policy takes effect immediately.
Some who attended the Monday night meeting criticized the proposed policy, telling the council that racers often like a beer at the end of a contest. But council members decided that there is “a greater principle involved here,” City Manager Robert L. Wynn said Tuesday.
“All of us are talking about youth involvement and drugs and alcohol,” Wynn said. “The council felt that if we are going to talk about it, let’s do something about it. . . . A lot of these athletes are held as models by the youth.”
A letter from a resident, concerned that the alcohol sales “would be the wrong kind of influence” on young people, prompted the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission to recommend the policy to the council.
The new policy is expected to affect only a few of the dozen or so 5- and 10-kilometer runs and other races held in Newport Beach, Wynn said.
But Marion J. Talley, executive director of the Newport Mesa Girls and Boys Club, said the new policy could translate into fewer donation dollars, because some of the money is raised through the sale of alcohol at civic events.
A spokesman from Ford Aerospace, which donated $3,000 to the Newport Mesa club last year, criticized the policy during the council meeting.
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