SAN DIEGO – Assembly Member Lori Saldaña (D-San Diego) chaired a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families Friday on behalf of Senator Liz Figueroa (D- Fremont) on the effects of the proliferation of underage drinking in California. Senator Figueroa was detained in Sacramento pending ongoing legislative negotiations on the state infrastructure bond. Assembly Member Saldaña was also on call to return to the Capitol in the event of a resolution of the impasse.

Before the hearing, Assembly Member Saldaña was joined by County Supervisor Ron Roberts and San Diego City Police Chief William Lansdowne, and several youth groups in a press conference to highlight problems associated with the marketing of sweetened alcoholic beverages to youth, especially to young women and teenage girls.

“These drinks are intended for and marketed to entry-level drinkers, particularly teen-age girls and young women,” Saldaña said. “This puts them at risk of alcohol abuse, drunk driving, and poor judgment in sexual situations.”

Also known as “Alcopops,” “Girlie Drinks,” “Cheerleader Beer” or “Gateway Drinks,” these concoctions of distilled liquor and fruity flavoring come in vibrant colors and deceptive packaging that make it nearly indistinguishable from sodas and sports drinks.

A recent survey conducted by the American Medical Association reported that a third of girls over 12 have tried alcopops, and 25 percent drove a car after drinking or rode with a driver who had been, and one in six report being sexually active after drinking.

Although they contain hard liquor, alcopops have been regulated by the State’s Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) as if they were beer and wine due to the industry’s creative formula of starting with a malt base and reducing it to nearly a water base before adding distilled flavoring. As a result, these drinks have been assessed at a lower rate by the state and are available in a wider variety of outlets, including 15,000 convenience stores statewide, making them much more accessible than hard liquor.

According to testimony presented at the hearing by a representative from the California Attorney General’s Office, state law is clear that any beverage containing a distilled spirit is considered a distilled spirit, but this provision has not been adequately enforced by state regulators.

A Writ of Mandate has been submitted to California’s Court of Appeals to compel active regulation of alcopops as hard liquor. A decision on the Writ should be expected later this year.

Assembly Member Saldaña introduced legislation (Assembly Bill 2013) that would, if the Writ were enacted, allocate the increased revenue generated by appropriate classification of alcopops to programs designed to prevent underage drinking, including much needed funding for law-enforcement. The bill will be considered in the Assembly Governmental Organization and Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committees in April.

“My hope is that these programs will counteract the marketing efforts of companies targeting kids in their advertising,” Saldaña said.

Another state bill, SB 1180 by Senator Carol Migden (D-San Francisco) is aimed at restricting the industry’s efforts to market these drinks to younger consumers.

Other testimony was presented at the hearing by a variety of sources, including high-school and college students, law-enforcement, and health care representatives. Also presented were the findings of a statewide survey of more than 300 young people from around the state. Interviews with the youth in the survey confirm the perception that the Alcopops are “cool” in the eyes of teens.

"The more you see it, the more obligated you feel to taste it. If it tastes good, you will want more," one teen said.