The San Diego County Alcohol Policy Panel (Policy Panel) is a coalition of youth and adult leaders from every sector of the community.  Our mission is to prevent underage drinking by changing the social, legal and commercial environments in which alcohol is made available and/or desirable to young people. 

Policy Panel members include law enforcement, elected officials, educational leaders, business owners, clergy, public health advocates, healthcare professionals, parents, youth and other concerned community members. 

Jim Gogek, Associate Director, provides full-time leadership for the coalition. Beth Sise, JD, RN, MSN, CPNP, Director of Trauma Prevention, Physician Education, and Research, Trauma Department, Scripps Mercy Hospital, currently serves as the Policy Panel Chair. 

Since 1994 the Policy Panel has sought to raise the profile of underage drinking and build recognition of the public health and safety problem of tragic proportions that it is.  We believe that in order to truly make strides in reducing underage drinking a comprehensive, science-based environmental approach must be used.  Government officials, the Legislature, and other policymakers need to recognize as we have, the powerful influences that exist within the community which contribute to underage and binge drinking.  These influences include the illegal provision of alcohol through social sources (such as friends, older siblings, parents, and other adults); illegal sales to minors; the placement and location of alcohol outlets; marketing and promotions; pricing practices; and advertising that inundate youth with the image of alcohol use as being fun and without consequence.

The Policy Panel is viewed as a national model for environmental prevention and has been cited by SAMSHA and NIAAA for its work in implementing social host ordinances, coordinating a multi-agency law enforcement task force, and convening a groundbreaking College Presidents Forum to address underage and binge drinking.

For more on the Policy Panel or to request training or technical assistance*, please visit  www.alcoholpolicypanel.org  

The San Diego County Youth Council was convened in 2000 to provide key youth leadership for the Policy Panel.  The Youth Council’s goal is to combat the mixed messages about alcohol that youth hear everyday through radio, magazines, television and billboard advertising. 

Youth Council members have created several powerful counter-advertising campaigns that have been viewed by millions in San Diego County malls and movie theatres.  They have also spoken at several national conferences on how to effectively engage youth as powerful media and policy advocates to reduce underage and high-risk drinking.

For more on the Youth Council or to request training or technical assistance*, please visit www.sdyouthcouncil.org

*California prevention providers may be eligible to access training and technical assistance at no charge via the Community Prevention Institute (CPI) administered by the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS) and funded and directed by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. 

Please visit  www.ca-cpi.org  to apply.