October 16, 2000
TIJUANA RESIDENTS MARCH FOR EARLIER BAR CLOSINGS AND SAFER STREETS

TIJUANA -- In a strong showing of support and unity, over 250 residents marched through the streets of Tijuana today, demanding that lawmakers make much needed reforms to alcohol laws on the state and local level....

Under the umbrella of the Binational Policy Council (BPC), Tijuana residents, including members from community organizations representing alcohol and drug prevention programs, human rights, women’s rights, and recovery centers marched from the ISESALUD clinic offices along Avenida Revolucion to Tijuana’s City Hall. 

The Binational Policy Council is calling on the government of Baja California and the government of Tijuana to implement recommended changes to alcohol laws in cities across the state, especially Tijuana.  The BPC feels their recommendations will reduce the number of alcohol-related problems in their community, such as DUI crashes, violence, domestic violence, underage drinking, and over-concentration of alcohol outlets in Tijuana....
The BPC is making the following recommendations they believe will help make Tijuana and all of Baja California a safer and healthier place to live:
  1. The following closing times for alcohol outlets:
  • Markets, convenient stores, supermarkets, neighborhood stores stop selling alcoholic beverages at 10:00 p.m.
  • Restaurants, liquor stores, wholesale distribution stores stop selling alcoholic beverages at midnight.
  • Pool halls, public events, restaurant-bars, bars, discotheques, nightclubs, and cabarets stop selling alcoholic beverages and close at 2:00 a.m.
  1. The elimination of extra hours permits by city governments.
  2. The creation of an advisory board in each municipality comprised of different sectors of society including community groups, ATOD prevention groups, business, and law enforcement to deal with alcohol outlet-related problems.
  3. The creation of a community notification system when a person applies for a liquor license.  Reglamentos must consult and notify residents of that community when there is an application to open up a new alcohol outlet.  The notification must be written and given to residents within 30 days of the liquor license hearing.  Residents should have the opportunity to voice their approval of disapproval of new alcohol outlets. Community recommendations must be part of Reglamentos’ determination of an alcohol license.
  4. A mechanism to enforce violations through Reglamentos and the court system.  All violators of State alcohol laws must be cited equally.

When the coalition for alcohol reform reached City Hall, they presented the Tijuana Mayor’s representative with a petition signed by over 1,000 concerned citizens who support these recommendations.  These recommendations will give citizens a greater voice in participating in the development of their community, encourages greater citizen-business-law enforcement-government collaboration and would create the mechanisms for safer communities.

Many governments throughout the world are promoting policies that restrict alcohol availability as a way of reducing alcohol-related problems such as underage access, impaired driving, and alcohol-related crime and violence.  One measure that has shown success is the regulation of closing hours of alcohol outlets.  Studies of changes in hours of sale for alcohol outlets have demonstrated increased drinking associated with increased number of hours, and decreased drinking with the reduction of hours of sales. 
QUOTE FROM THE MAYOR’S OFFICE
Results of the World Health Organization project on public drinking in twelve countries showed that restriction on hours of operations as one of the measures promoted by participants in each country.  In Mexico, cities such as Cd. Juarez, Guadalajara, and Monterrey have instituted earlier bar closing (at 2:00 a.m.) as a means of reducing alcohol-related crimes.
These recommendations promoted by residents are one of many steps needed to reduce alcohol-related problems in Baja California.  The group is now calling on local citizens to keep the momentum going by getting involved.  They are urging all residents of Baja California to write letters to their state legislators, city council, the mayor of Tijuana and the governor of Baja California in support of the 2:00 a.m. bar closings. 

They encourage residents to call their legislators and ask them to support the recommendations, become a spokesperson, participate in media events and encourage neighborhood groups, prevention organizations, schools and other community members to support the recommendations.  Once this is accomplished, positive changes will come to our communities.

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