Local News in Brief : Countywide : Board Votes to Expand Liquor Warning Law

The Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance Tuesday that expands statewide rules requiring businesses selling or serving liquor to post health warnings.

The action means an additional 505 businesses will be required to post warnings that consuming alcohol can be dangerous during pregnancy.

Several hundred Orange County businesses are already covered by a state law adopted by voters in 1986. The state law affects businesses with more than 10 employees that serve or sell liquor.

The new county ordinance expands the requirement to any business dispensing alcohol regardless of the number of employees. However, the board’s action only affects businesses in the county’s unincorporated areas. About half-a-dozen cities in Orange County require a similar warning.

County Public Health Director L. Rex Ehling requested the measure, which takes effect next month.

As part of Tuesday’s unanimous vote, the board approved spending up to $11,000 to print the signs and enforce the ordinance. The warnings read: “Warning. Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages during pregnancy can cause birth defects.”

Last year, Ehling said, about 400 babies were born in the county with alcohol-related defects, including fetal alcohol syndrome, the leading cause of mental retardation in the United States.

“We believe that it is vital we reach as many pregnant mothers as possible and alert them to the dangers of drinking during pregnancy,” Ehling said. “This is an important step to meeting that goal.”