Santa Barbara parents who provide alcohol to minors in the privacy of their homes soon may face stiff financial penalties.

That’s because the city of Santa Barbara may follow the lead of Carpinteria in passing what is called a “Social Host Ordinance.”

The proposed law, which could be discussed by the city council as soon as next month, would allow the city to fine the host of any gathering that includes two or more underage drinkers. The first offense would cost $500; later transgressions would cost $1,000. Offenders could reduce the cost of the ticket by taking a class.

The policy also could penalize parents whose children threw a party while they were out of town.

Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum, who helped craft the newly completed draft ordinance, said the city needs to crack down on parent-condoned parties for underage drinkers.

“We’ve got a couple households that are problems now,” she said. “And they are not in the lower Eastside or Westside – they’re in affluent areas.”

One, Blum said, is owned by parents who charge admission for underage parties.

“That’s just ridiculous,” she said. “We can’t make an ordinance for good parenting, but we can make one that says alcohol and young drivers don’t mix.”

Santa Barbara’s proposed ordinance is modeled after one that took effect about a month ago in Carpinteria.

Before the Carpinteria City Council passed the ordinance, Sheriff deputies were having a difficult time holding wayward hosts accountable. Parties with underage drinkers could be broken up for disturbing the peace, but only if a neighbor was willing to make a citizen’s arrest.

Most people “don’t want to take that much action against their neighbor,” said Lt. Darin Fotheringham, who works out of the Carpinteria station of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.  

Of the roughly 650 “disturbing the peace” calls deputies took in Carpinteria last year, fewer than a dozen citations were issued, he said.

“There’s a false perception out there, ‘What I will do is I will have everyone come to
this safe location to drink as opposed to somewhere else,’ “ said Lt. Fotheringham. “In reality, everyone comes to that location and everybody leaves. The tragedies still happen.”

In Carpinteria, the new ordinance -- which so far has not been put to use -- means that when authorities stop a party by knocking on the door, they’re no longer limited to merely suggesting that the revelers turn down the music. Now, they can detain anybody on the premises who appears to be a minor, and ask them to show ID, he said.

The Carpinteria ordinance defines "party" as any gathering with five or more people. If at least two of the drinkers are minors, the deputies can issue citations.

In lieu of a $500 penalty, first-time offenders can opt to take a drug-and-alcohol counseling program. Second-time offenders can cut the $1,000 ticket in half by taking the class.

Of course, minors could always be cited for drinking. But what most people don’t realize, Lt. Fotheringham said, is that underage drinking laws generally apply to people in public places such as bars, restaurants, parks and beaches – not in living rooms or fenced-in yards.

In Santa Barbara, the movement to adopt a social host ordinance coincides with a newly completed survey about underage drinking conducted by teen members of a city-sponsored group called Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention.

In a series of five focus groups at various local high schools this spring, about 90 percent of the roughly 100 students surveyed said that “home” is the No. 1 place to obtain and consume alcohol. Sixty-four percent said they know adults who allow minors to drink alcohol in their homes.

Last week, the group, known as ADAP, hosted a forum to discuss the social host ordinance. About 80 people attended.

Christina Gonzalez, a junior at Bishop Diego High School and a member of the group, said she likes the idea of the ordinance because “it keeps the parents kind of in check. … It also keeps the kids in check. My mom would probably ground me for life if I threw a party and she got a $1,000 fine.”

Gonzalez said she got involved with the city-sponsored organization partly because drugs and alcohol have wreaked havoc on the lives of some of her friends – such as an 18-year-old woman who hasn’t completed a full year of school since the seventh-grade because she is always in and out of treatment.

“A lot of parents don’t find it harmful or that big of a deal,” Gonzalez said. “(Teens) will get something out of the fridge and parents won’t say anything.”

Mayor Blum said she hopes all of the cities in the area – as well as the county of Santa Barbara -- adopt the ordinance.

If the County Board of Supervisors passed such a law, it would apply to the notorious college party town of Isla Vista. If that happened, out-of-town owners of apartment dwellings leased by students could find themselves accountable for parties held on their properties.

The possibility isn’t that far-fetched: employees with the Santa Barbara County Alcohol and Drug Program have already scheduled meetings with the district attorney’s office to discuss the matter.


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