LAWS HOLD PARENTS RESPONSIBLE UNDERAGE-DRINKING PENALTIES BEING MADE STRONGER IN CITY, COUNTY.

Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY -- Ventura County parents who allow their teenagers to throw wild drinking parties this summer face stronger penalties than ever before because of new laws passed this spring by city and county government officials.

Concerned about alcohol-related problems -- car crashes, fights, sexual assaults -- Simi Valley City Council members last week were the latest to adopt a proposal to place a $1,000 fine on people whose homes are used for parties involving underage drinking.

The new Ventura County law with the same fines took effect Friday in unincorporated areas of the county, and the Simi Valley law is expected to take effect in June after it is officially adopted at a second hearing later this month.

The Thousand Oaks City Council adopted a law April 25 placing a minimum fine of $2,500 on adults who host underage drinking parties. It also goes into effect in June.

Moorpark city officials are studying the possibilities for a similar law.

``I've had three teenage daughters, and I think it's a good concept to place more responsibility on the parents,'' Moorpark Councilman Clint Harper said.

Simi Valley is one of the nation's safest cities, and it already had a strict illegal party ordinance that has been in effect for years, but officials said they wanted to do whatever possible to prevent problems.

``I don't think we can have laws strict enough when we have young people drinking,'' City Councilwoman Barbra Williamson said. ``They can't tell right from wrong when when they put that firewater down their throat. Any kind of ordinance that holds parents responsible, I'm all for it. I think most parents would agree.''

Councilman Glen Becerra agreed the city has to take a strong stand against teenage drinking but said it's important to have a law that won't unfairly penalize parents for acts beyond their control.

``There is a difference between parents who discourage their children from having parties when they are away and parents who go to a liquor store and make it available to their kids,'' he said. ``We want to make sure we have a system that is fair and just.''

Becerra said he was shocked by Ventura County Department of Behavioral Health surveys that found that 74 percent of young people who recalled having five or more alcoholic drinks said it was either at their home or someone else's, and among those arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, about 76 percent of 18- and 19-year-olds had their last drink in a private home.

Under the new county Social Host Ordinance, parents who go out of town could be cited if their teenage children throw parties with alcohol in their homes, depending on the circumstances, said Capt. Ron Nelson of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

If the parents take no steps to protect their homes or discourage wild drinking parties when they leave, they would be cited, he said.

In April, when the county Board of Supervisors adopted the ``Social Host Ordinance'' for unincorporated areas, the supervisors urged city officials to pass similar laws.

Supervisor Kathy Long and Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks issued a written appeal to city leaders asking them to follow suit, citing American Medical Association statistics saying alcohol kills 6.5 times more young people than all illegal drugs combined and is a factor in nearly half of all teen car crashes and up to 65 percent of teen suicides.

Teenage drinking is also linked to two-thirds of all sexual assaults and date rapes of teens and college students, according to the same research.

Under Simi Valley's previous ordinance, it already can cost Simi Valley parents thousands of dollars if their teenage children hold drunken parties, said Sgt. Stephanie Shannon of the Simi Valley Police Department.

If the police receive complaints and confirm there are juveniles drinking or other violations, they can issue citations to the person responsible for the party, Shannon said. Then the city can go back and charge the person responsible for the costs associated with the police response.