PACOIMA : Festival Will Mark Anti-Drug Campaign

Just saying no to drugs and alcohol isn’t enough for Lou Garcia. You should be able to have a good time doing it, too.

With that in mind, the San Fernando Valley Partnership, an anti-drug group directed by Garcia, will sponsor a daylong festival Saturday in Pacoima from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

About 40 community groups from throughout the Valley will participate in the “Clean and Sober--Drug Free and Proud” event at Pacoima School and adjacent David M. Gonzalez Recreation Center on Herrick Avenue.

The celebration is part of the nationwide drug awareness month sponsored by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in memory of slain agent Enrique Camarena, killed by Mexican drug traffickers in 1985.

“Obviously, what we want to do is, No. 1, provide an example of alternative lifestyles to drugs and drinking,” Garcia said. “But we also want to provide a fun atmosphere.”

Rappers, folkloric groups, rock and ethnic bands will deliver their versions of anti-drug messages, Garcia said. In addition, the principal of Pacoima School will unveil a large mural highlighting the same theme.

Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) will speak to the crowd, which Garcia expects to exceed 2,000.

The partnership has been working for about two years under a $500,000 annual federal grant, researching drug abuse and formulating a plan to reduce it valleywide, according to Garcia. In addition, he said, its five neighborhood coordinators have been organizing anti-drug groups to carry on the fight once the five-year grant expires.