Public Health Experts and Activists Celebrate The Movement Toward Social Justice in Public Health, the 5th Annual California Alcohol Policy Alliance Summit

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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA), and Alcohol Justice, held #CAPASummit2020 - the 5th Annual CAPA Summit - The Movement Toward Social Justice in Public Health over the first three Fridays in November. The successful virtual event took place via Zoom and was attended by 296 public health experts and advocates.

"Rising to overcome the challenges of COVID, this year's summit was an exciting success," said Richard Zaldivar, Board Chair of Alcohol Justice. "CAPA has developed an intersectional approach to alcohol policy that has earned the respect of public health and safety-minded activists and lawmakers throughout California. We look forward to supporting CAPA's continuing participation in crafting public policy that places community health and safety over alcohol industry profits."

#CAPASummit2020 was spread over three successive Fridays that began on November 6^th.  In addition to participating in the virtual sessions, CAPA attendees were acknowledged in inspirational video messages by California State Assemblymember Tom Lackey and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer.

"It's important that we have thoughtful conversations about the potential impact alcohol can have on our health and our communities," stated California State Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez. "I applaud CAPA for being a unified voice for diverse organizations in California that want to prevent substance abuse and other alcohol-related harm through statewide action."

Session topics and speakers included:

DAY 1 – Equity, Alcohol Injustice

• Chanchanit (Chancee) Martorell, Thai Community Development Center
• Kandee Lewis, Positive Results Corporation
• Jose Guevara-Johnson, The Wall Las Memorias Project
• Tasha R. Fridia, JD, Tribal Law and Policy Institute
• Yvette Lopez-Ledesma, The Wilderness Society
• Dinora Heredia, A.K.A. Fémina Fatal, Batallones Femeninos

DAY 2 – COVID-19 and Alcohol

• Dr. John Connolly, Chief Strategist, L.A. County Department of Public Health
• Dr. Lello Tesema, L.A. County Department of Public Health Division of Substance Abuse Prevention & Control (SAPC)
• Diana Zúñiga, L.A. County Department of Health Services, Alternatives to Incarceration Workgroup
• Nicolle Perras, L.A. County Department of Public Health
• Nelly Arias, L.A. County Department of Mental Health
• Franklin Romero, L.A. County Department of Mental Health
• Raul M. Herrera, AJUPEME USA - Turtle Island, International Ulama Mesoamerican Hip-Ballgame association
• Carson Benowitz-Fredricks, MSPH, CHES, Alcohol Justice
• Vanessa Ramirez Garcia, Future Leaders of America
• Xavier Flores, Pueblo y Salud, Inc.

DAY 3 – Social Justice-Informed Policy

• Antonio Cortez Appling, The Long Beach Poetry Slam
• Brian "SuperB" Oliva, Multi-title slam champion, Slam Poetry Coach
• Kat Magill, 2x National Poetry Slam finalist, HBO Def Jam Poet,
• Brenda Villanueva, Co-chair, Los Angeles Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance
• Gilbert Mora, MS, Co-chair, California Alcohol Policy Alliance
• Jorge Castillo, Alcohol Justice
• Raul Verdugo, Alcohol Justice
• Veronica De Lara, MPA, Co-chair, California Alcohol Policy Alliance
• Mayra Jimenez, Alcohol Justice

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that public health needs to be reevaluated to provide fair access to all, especially for low earning communities and communities of color," said California State Assemblymember Monique Limón. "A pandemic of this magnitude comes with many risks and concerns beyond the virus. Losing a loved one, a job, and not interacting with those around you can be very difficult, and for many, it is challenging to seek help. I applaud CAPA for having conversations about the risk of alcohol abuse during these times and interconnecting social justice with public health as we continue seeing the need for improvement in our system."

"Even though COVID made it impossible to come together physically with activists from throughout the state, we were still able to celebrate past CAPA victories and plan new strategies,"  stated Gilbert Mora, Co-Chair of CAPA. "The virtual turnout produced unexpected moments of deep insight and inspiration. CAPA is ready to move forward with confidence and strength to demand social justice in public health in California."

CAPA Member Organizations:

CAPA Mission:
The California Alcohol Policy Alliance (CAPA) shall unite diverse organizations and communities in California to protect health and safety, and prevent alcohol-related harm through statewide action.

CAPA Platform:
Current core issues leading to specific advocacy and policy change action items.

• Raise the price of alcohol through taxes and fees, supporting the "Charge for Harm" concept that the industry should pay for treatment, prevention and all other costs to government.
• Limit alcohol advertising in all media, especially on government-controlled property and where children or targeted populations are exposed.
• Make the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control effective, efficient, transparent, and accountable to public health and safety concerns of the community, and not to cater to industry profits and license expediency, through policies that reduce alcohol outlet density and increase funding for alcohol control, regulation, and enforcement.
• Eliminate product lines (such as alcopops and malt liquors) oriented to underage youth and vulnerable or targeted populations.
• Reduce the allowable blood alcohol content for drivers as "Point .05 Saves Lives"
• Improve labelling and out-of-home advertising of all alcohol products to ensure a) no marketing to youth, b) no indications of unsubstantiated health claims, c) display of alcohol content by volume and percentage and d) display of harms.

For more information on CAPA, go to: https://alcoholpolicyalliance.org/  and follow on:
Twitter @CAPA_Alcohol
Instagram @caalcoholpolicy
Facebook @AlcoholPolicyAlliance
California Alcohol Policy Alliance is a project of Alcohol Justice

CONTACT: Michael Scippa 415 548-0492
Jorge Castillo 213 840-3336
Mayra Jimenez 323 683-4687

SOURCE Alcohol Justice; California Alcohol Policy Alliance

Related Links

http://www.AlcoholJustice.org