Background: After the highly publicized death of a college student, a local sports bar in your town lost its liquor
license for 60 days. The student had consumed 21 shots of alcohol on his birthday, and later died in his dorm
room from alcohol poisoning. The bar was crowded, and because the shots had been purchased by a variety
of friends of the victim, the bar manager and staff were not aware of the impending problem. Subsequently, the
college’s student newspaper published editorials warning against the perils of binge drinking, and accused the
management of the facility of negligence or indifference. Sorrow in the community and outrage in the local
press prompted the mayor of the city in which you operate your own popular Italian restaurant/pizzeria to
propose a local ordinance banning the sale of more than three drinks per day to any individual. An ordinance is
a piece of legislation enacted by a municipal (city or town) governmental authority.
A drink, under the ordinance, would be defined as either a 12-ounce beer, a 4-ounce glass of table wine, or a 1
and 1/2 ounce shot of liquor. Violators would face a fine of $5,000 per incident. Enforcement would fall to the
local police. It is widely known in the community that the mayor, generally a strong promoter of business, is a
nondrinker, and support for the ordinance is strong because of the accident.
Review: California Dram Shop and Social Host Liability Rules
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/dram-shop-laws-social-host-liability-alcohol-related-accidentscalifornia.html (Links to an external site.)
Discussion Assignment: As the elected President of your local restaurant association and owner of a popular
local Italian restaurant/pizzeria, you have been asked to address the proposed ordinance at the next meeting
of the City Council. For your Discussion post, develop a plan of action before you address the City Council.
Your plan should include answers to the following five questions:
- What issues will you consider as you prepare your statement to the City Council?
- What message do you believe the majority of citizens in your community will support?
- Where will you turn for advice and counsel in preparing your statement?
- Will it make a difference to you if you know that the local television station will cover the council meeting?
- How will social media play into your plan?