MilkPAC Supports Supe Avalos "Charge For Harm" Fee

On Tuesday, July 6th, MilkPAC approved support for District 11 and Budget & Finance Committee Chair Supervisor John Avalos' "Charge For Harm" Alcohol Mitigation Fee set to be heard by the B&F Committee later this month. The first of the SF Democratic Party chartered clubs to do so, MilkPAC's recommendation is to be sent to the Milk Club membership at its July meeting to urge the SF Democratic County Central Committee to support this measure and to transmit that support to the Board of Supervisors. A rally of other SF Dem clubs with equal support are also expected this month.

The fee is set to be collected from wholesalers and distributors who deliver alcohol to retailers in San Francisco on behalf of producers. Almost all of the major alcohol producers are now foreign companies where profits are never recirculated or spent in the US. Big Alcohol contributes the least of any producer for the harm its products cause on society. In California alone, the cost of harm due to alcohol is over $38 billion!

Several polls of alcohol drinkers over the past few years have resulted in over 80% in favor of a small fee (like a nickle) added onto the cost of their drinks to support safety net services like sobering centers, emergency rooms, paramedics, judicial, detox/rehab programs, police/fire, education and others that have never been reimbursed nor admitted by Big Alcohol as their responsibility, however small.

Marin Institute, the alcohol industry watchdog, that monitors marketing of alcohol to children and youth, have been at the forefront of this effort for the past several years in trying to get a fee passed at the state level to no avail. They report difficulty when Big Alcohol sets up a beer/wine/spirits tent right outside of the Capitol building exclusively for elected officials and staff.

See more of the ongoing coverage at http://arunaurl.com/3kfm