SANTA CLARITA TO HELP KEEP PARTIES SOBER DEPUTIES OFFER TIPS ON HOW TO PLAN SAFE EVENTS FOR TEENS.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE

Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Santa Clarita plans to join family-friendly cities battling to rein in partygoing teens with an awareness campaign aimed at parents.

Spurred by more than 3,500 complaint calls last year to sheriff's deputies, officials have designed a parents' guide to parties, with the goal of cutting teen drinking.

"We want to give guidance to the parents on how they can host a safe and fun party that doesn't get out of hand," Lt. Tom Bryski said.

State laws hold parents responsible for injuries or deaths in the aftermath of home parties where minors drink, but some municipalities also are stepping in.

Santa Clarita's guide offers parents safety tips for planning and organizing teen parties and dances at home.

They range from determining off-limits areas to appointing an adult to man the red rope, checking off arriving guests against an invitation list in hopes of banning party crashers.

Simi Valley, with a population of roughly 130,000, adopted a "social host" law in 2006. It's proved a valuable tool in curbing underage drinking, officials say.

"When the parties get broken up at one place, the kids say 'Let's meet at another house,'" said Sgt. Dave Livingstone, a spokesman for the Simi Valley Police Department. "Invariably we get called there for the disturbance and that party gets broken up -- we often go from party to party, breaking them up."

In Santa Barbara, the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse is talking to officials there about sponsoring a social host law that would hold property owners responsible for underage drinking at parties -- "and for any fines and fees and prosecution that would be related to alcohol abuse," Santa Barbara Councilman Roger Horton said.

First offenses might cost $500; repeat offenders could pay $1,000 for each subsequent citation. A draft law needs backing from a couple more council members to move forward.

Carpinteria's "social host" ordinance went into effect this spring. Only one ticket has been written so far in the coastal city of some 14,500, where 650 complaints for disturbing the peace and loud and unruly parties were received last year.

"One of the false arguments against social host is it's safer to have kids come to a parent-sponsored party to drink -- that it's theoretically more controlled," said Lt. Darin Fotheringham, who works in the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department's Carpinteria station. "However, children leave that party, and that poses a threat to the public."

The measure fills an important gap, he said. State laws prohibit public intoxication and public possession of alcohol by minors. But deputies are hamstrung from arresting underage drinkers at home bashes in cities with no social host laws.

"The 20 kids standing in the living room with a beer in their hand that set it down and are underage, we can take no enforcement action (against)," he said.

A $500 fine is charged in Carpinteria for the first offense, but violators may choose to attend teen court or an alcohol rehabilitation program instead. A second offense costs $1,000, which can be halved if violators attend a counseling program. The third strike nets a non-negotiable $1,000 ticket.

Officials hope the consequences serve as a strong deterrent.

"Not only will parents allow their children to have alcohol in the home and actually provide it, but they will purchase alcohol and charge their children's friends to attend a party at their home," said Kate Schwass, a spokeswoman for the Council on Alcoholism in Santa Barbara. "What makes this so detrimental is that parents can't trust other parents."

Nationwide, the cost of underage drinking is estimated at $53 billion, including $19 billion from traffic crashes and $29 billion from violent crime, Schwass said.

Santa Clarita-based sheriff's deputies fielded 3,538 complaints last year about loud music or large crowds at parties. This year, roughly 2,527 disturbance calls have been received, and 300 of the merry-makers were either arrested, cited or the subject of police reports. Deputies issued more than 1,800 warnings.

Deputies have arrested some 20 minors for possessing alcohol and 94 for curfew violations in 2007. The city of Santa Clarita is home to some 170,000, while 250,000 live in the Santa Clarita Valley.

judy.orourke(at)dailynews.com

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For a link to Santa Clarita's Parent Guide to Teenage Parties and Dances, see www.SCVSheriff.com.