LOCAL ACTIVIST OBSESSED WITH ALCOHOL REFORM.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer There was a time when Ray Chavira would do almost anything for his next drink. Now the recovered alcoholic has a different obsession: alcohol reform. Chavira calls himself crazy for a worthwhile cause. ``This is my way of making up for the mess I've made,'' said Chavira, a 64-year-old Palmdale resident, who drank for 25 years before hitting bottom - losing his family and the best job he ever had. ``We're trying to re-establish the best alcohol control measures we can find,'' Chavira said. ``Over the decades, liquor liquor /li·quor/ (lik´er) (li´kwor) pl. liquors, liquo´res [L.] 1. a liquid, especially an aqueous solution containing a medicinal substance. 2. has become so strong, and the liquor industry has had its way. We have to control it without prohibiting it.'' Since Chavira quit drinking in 1975, he has become an activist. He served two five-year terms on the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Commission on Alcoholism alcoholism, disease characterized by impaired control over the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Alcoholism is a serious problem worldwide; in the United States the wide availability of alcoholic beverages makes alcohol the most accessible drug, and alcoholism is , served on the state's Advisory Board on Alcohol-Related Problems, founded the Los Angeles County Alcohol Policy Coalition and founded the High Desert Alcohol Policy Coalition. He has served on many other boards. After moving to the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley , Chavira pushed for additional municipal controls on where - and under what conditions - businesses can sell alcohol. ``Until I got here, we didn't have any control,'' Chavira said. ``Anyone could get a liquor license Noun 1. liquor license - a license authorizing the holder to sell alcoholic beverages liquor licence license, permit, licence - a legal document giving official permission to do something .'' Chavira has raised local officials' awareness about alcohol-related problems, Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said. ``Ray has been instrumental in raising the consciousness (about) alcohol,'' Ledford said. ``He has an ongoing working group.'' Palmdale officials are reviewing the city's alcohol-sales ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been , which Chavira promoted. ``Now we have to evaluate where we are today and see where we want to go from here,'' Ledford said. Chavira believes that more controls are needed and that current policies are only partially effective, because they do not apply to supermarkets, drugstores and restaurants. ``What we're trying to do is fight the community's alcoholism problems as though they were an individual,'' Chavira said. ``If the community really cares, then it will see its negative impact. We're trying to `de-alcoholize' the community.'' Chavira began drinking when he was 17 in junior college to make himself ``feel good,'' he said. He started with beer, then moved to wine and expensive liquor before ending with vodka vodka (vŏd`kə), traditional spirituous drink of Russia, the Baltic states, and Poland; it is now consumed internationally. The best vodka is distilled from rye and barley malt, but the cheaper corn and potatoes are commonly employed. , which he calls ``the cheap liquor.'' ``I would drink all the time, depending upon how much money I had,'' Chavira said. ``I drank enough to be arrested.'' After graduating from Los Angeles State College - now California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (also known as Cal State L.A., CSULA, or "'CSLA"') is a public university, part of the California State University system. - with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. in secondary education, Chavira began working as a high school teacher in Whittier. Active in the community and in teachers unions, Chavira continued to teach and continued to drink each day before school. ``I found the nearest liquor store that opened at 6 a.m.,'' Chavira said. ``I was there at 5:30 - shaking as I waited for them to open, waiting to get my fix.'' ``I was able to fool my way through,'' Chavira said of his teaching. ``Maybe the kids knew, but the administrators didn't.'' In 1974, Chavira got what he considered his dream job in Florida - as assistant executive director for the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association. It was there he realized he needed help. He got fired and separated from his wife. He was told his health had so deteriorated he likely would be dead in two months. He returned to California and checked into a rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. center, where he stayed for about a month before checking into a recovery home. He stayed sober for about 10 months before slipping and returning to a recovery unit. Chavira has stayed sober ever since. ``I'm letting myself be used - this time by the right spirit instead of the wrong one,'' Chavira said. He added: ``I have to keep from being pleased. There's never an end to this.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--AV edition--Color) Ray Chavira is leading eff orts orts leftover feed that the animals will not eat. to strengthen alcohol-sale restrictions throughout the High Desert. (2--SAC edition) Ray Chavira, a recovering alcoholic who quit 25 years ago, leads efforts in the Palmdale area to control the sale of alcoholic beverages
(3--AV edition only) Jim Ledford Evaluating city's ordinance Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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