VALLEJO ALCOHOL POLICY COALITION

Facts About the VAPC

 

  1. The VAPC is comprised of an autonomous group of Vallejo residents that have been meeting on a voluntary basis once a month for nearly seven years. The organization was formed in response to increasing pressure for new alcohol outlets to open near residential neighborhoods. The group is membership-based and members come from all walks of life in Vallejo. The criteria for membership is support of the Mission Statement below:

    The Mission of the Vallejo Alcohol Policy Coalition is:

    To serve as a vehicle for the citizens of Vallejo to educate the community about the alcohol environment and impact policy to reduce the risks associated with the consumption of alcohol.



  2. Fighting Back Partnership provides meeting space and technical support for the group. FBP does not endorse or oppose the positions the group takes on any given issue.

  3. The VAPC has no formal authority. The decisions made by the group are advisory only and provided to the City as an indicator of the communities’ thoughts on a particular alcohol outlet issue.

  4. VAPC meetings are public and held every second Wednesday evening at Fighting Back Partnership from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

  5. The VAPC has elected officers. They are:

    1. Liat Meitzenheimer, Chair
    2. Anne Grant, Vice Chair
    3. Juan Gonzalez, Secretary

  6. The VAPC does not support the elimination of alcohol in society. Rather, the members believe, and research supports, the fact that alcohol problems can be reduced by lowering the overall availability of alcohol in the community and improving the standards by which it is sold and served.

  7. The VAPC has taken the position of "not opposing" more alcohol outlets than it has "opposed" since the group has been reviewing proposed new outlets in the city. Since 1994 the VAPC has "Not Oppose" the sale of alcohol at 19 outlets and "Opposed" only 10 times. Yet each decision is a difficult one that weighs the rights of owners with the public health and safety impact on the residents and neighborhoods of Vallejo.

  8. The VAPC has adopted criteria to guide its determination about the position the group will take on any proposed use permit to sell alcohol.

  9. The VAPC in collaboration with the Vallejo Police Department, community groups and Chamber of Commerce, has been instrumental in developing, passing and implementing three local City ordinances --- the Conditional Use Permit, the Deemed Approved Ordinance and the Teen Party Ordinance. These ordinances have significantly reduced alcohol-related problems in the City of Vallejo.