Alcohol Marketing in Santa Paula

* To see how alcohol is being marketed in our city, the Santa Paula Youth Action Task Force conducted a community survey of neighborhood liquor stores and the placement of alcohol advertisements. It found 34 alcohol outlets in Santa Paula, an average of three to four stores that sell alcohol within walking distance of the elementary and middle schools.

Santa Paula city code allows only 20% of a store’s window space to be used for advertising. There must be a clear view of the inside of the store for safety reasons--in case of a robbery, for example. Our survey found that 53% of the stores use more than 20% of their window space for advertising.

Also, 28% of the stores post alcohol advertisements lower than three feet and near candy and soda aisles. One store had five beer displays near the entrance.

Are kids being targeted by the alcohol industry? The more young people are exposed to alcohol advertisements, the more likely they are to hold positive attitudes toward alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, this means those same kids are more likely to drink at an early age because they have learned that drinking alcohol is acceptable behavior through misleading marketing campaigns by the alcohol industry and because it is so readily available in our community.

The Youth Action Task Force, a coalition of students from Isbell Middle School and Santa Paula High School, recommends that stores take responsibility and abide by the city code and use only 20% of their front windows for ads. Also, if liquor stores do not want to be seen as marketing alcohol to kids, they should remove all alcohol ads from the candy and soda aisle, place alcohol ads higher than five feet and place alcohol where it is not so accessible to young kids--not near the front of the store.

When merchants violate state laws by selling alcohol to kids, they send the wrong message. Unfortunately, the kids are blamed and are severely reprimanded while the store is allowed to continue to sell alcohol.

When stores do not comply with local laws they jeopardize the health and safety of the community. We need to hold them accountable. Help us promote a healthy and safe environment and ask your local merchant to follow the advice in this letter.

LORRAINE VELASQUEZ

TRINO NAVA

IVAN HERNANDEZ

MIGUEL HERNANDEZ

JAIME VASQUEZ

JOSE RAMIREZ

PHILLIP ALANIZ

Santa Paula Youth Action Task Force