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Baja Sharkeez on Main Street might have to shut down its entertainment at 11 p.m. starting in March.

Police Chief Kenneth Small sent a letter to owner Greg Newman saying that because of various alcohol violations and arrests at the downtown bar late at night, police are looking to restrict the establishment’s entertainment permit.

Small said Sharkeez saw 72 drunken driving arrests in 22 months.

Newman said he thought there was some misinformation in collecting the data because his Newport Beach location did not have any violations. Newman also said he has never been fined by the state department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

However, as a result Hermosa Beach’s Baja Sharkeez is launching the South Bay Safe Streets program to combat the number of patrons who leave the bar and are arrested for driving under the influence.

Greg Newman, co-owner of the popular restaurant, found out this week that his Hermosa Beach location leads neighboring downtown bars in the number of customers who have been arrested for a DUI after leaving restaurants. Sharkeez has 51 arrests in the last two years; 31 of them were in 2010.

This news comes on the heels of a recent investigation into the number of DUI-related arrests connected to his Huntington Beach location. According to the Orange County Register, there have been 72 DUI arrests in the last two years associated with the Sharkeez in Huntington Beach.

Most of Hermosa Beach’s restaurants and bars averaged between two and five DUI arrests that were connected to their establishments through 2009 and 2010. Coming in second was Patrick Malloy’s with 13 DUI-related arrests in two years, eight of which came from 2010. Third was Caf/ Boogaloo at 12, with eight from 2010.

Police Chief Greg Savelli said the numbers are collected at the time of an arrest when an officer asks the person where they are came from. Savelli said he has no intention of investigating the Hermosa Beach Sharkeez location and believes the bar’s high number of DUI arrests is due to the restaurant’s popularity.

“That’s the most popular location. It doesn’t really mean very much,” Savelli said. “I just think he runs a popular place.”

Savelli also said it’s difficult to place blame on a restaurant or bar for having connections to a DUI because a patron while driving can show signs that they might be under the influence well before they display characteristics of being intoxicated while at a bar. He said two drinks can get someone a DUI, but they could easily have more than five drinks before becoming noticeably intoxicated and a bartender would cut them off.

Regardless, Sharkeez’s owners are going to do something about it.

“It’s definitely a negative that we have this many,” Newman said. “We need to do something.”

On Monday, Feb. 21, Newman is launching a South Bay Safe Streets Program via Sharkeez.

Newman said the program aims to reduce drinking and driving in Hermosa Beach. To do that, Sharkeez will only serve single-sized drinks from midnight to close to deter excessive drinking and allow staff to monitor customer consumption more effectively. New customers will not be allowed to enter Sharkeez after 1:15 a.m. Newman said that will discourage people trying to land an extra last drink. Sharkeez will also be closing at 1:30 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. to help clear the streets earlier and allow more taxicabs to be available for its patrons.

He said staff will also frequently remind customers not to drink and drive with audio announcements, signs at the entrance and on all tables, posters and special buttons worn by staff.
Newman said Sharkeez is also teaming up with United Taxi and Yellow Cab to offer taxi vouchers for $5 off rides. Sharkeez staff will pass the vouchers out throughout the night and to customers leaving the restaurant.

Also, every two years staff members will have to take a day class to get a Mandatory Serve Safe certification to remind them of all the city and state regulations and to help deter overserving.

“We want to lead the charge in creating safer streets and a safer downtown area by reducing drinking and driving in our community,” according to Newman.

Newman said they plan to ask Savelli for the new DUI statistics in 90 days after the program has been established to see if it is working.

“We’ll find out in 90 days if it’s making a difference, if we’re in the right direction,” Newman said. “If not, we’ll add more stuff.”

Savelli said the program is a good first step.

Newman said if it works, he looks forward to other restaurants and bars implementing similar programs.

Mayor Pro Tem Howard Fishman said the statistics of DUIs in Hermosa Beach “show that people aren’t drinking responsibly” and that it’s not one restaurant’s fault.

“I’m not going to point a finger at Sharkeez,” Fishman said.

Councilman Michael DiVirgilio said he was “surprised” to see the DUI figures related to Sharkeez and that it was “disturbing.” He’s going to encourage the police, city staff and restaurant owners to work together to come up with ways to lower the number of intoxicated drivers.

“We need to have our staff lead the effort,” DiVirgilio said.

“I think in general any number is too high. We should be finding a way to drive the numbers down.”

DiVirgilio also recommended having more DUI checkpoints throughout the year and more electronic message boards on city streets discouraging drunk driving.

Newman said he welcomes any meetings between restaurant owners and the city to fight the DUI arrests.

“It’s definitely a good idea to have a meeting on this,” Newman said. “If this (program) works well, I think the city will want other restaurants doing it.”

Newman also said he’ll suggest that the Hermosa Beach Restaurant Association discuss how to fight drinking and driving at its next meeting.

“We’re about being proactive and not justifying,” Newman said. “It’s all about reducing the number of DUIs.”

Because a whopping 72 of its patrons were arrested for drunk-driving in a 22-month period, Baja Sharkeez in Huntington Beach will soon have to stop its entertainment at 11 p.m. nightly.

Meaning no deejay-ing or live performances after that. Though alcohol can still be served until 1:30 a.m., when the restaurant closes.

[Insert sound of head-scratching here.]

Huntington Beach Police Chief Ken Small sent a letter to Sharkeez owner Greg Newman saying the new hours will go into effect March 1, when the restaurant renews its entertainment permit.

This curfew of sorts comes after the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control opened an investigation on the restaurant last month.

Newman, who previously said Sharkeez was being unfairly targeted due to its popularity,  seems to be cooperating with police, though he’s asking Small if the restaurant can get a 90-day trial with the new entertainment hours. According to the Huntington Beach Independent, Newman has met with Small to share some ideas on how to help curb alcohol consumption and the problems because of it. The restaurant will stop serving large cups or pitchers of alcohol at midnight, and is in the process of partnering with a cab company to offer vouchers for tipsy customers. He’s also researching whether the restaurant can use a breathalyzer to measure customers’ blood alcohol level before they get their last drink at 1:15 a.m., the Independent reports.

Huntington Beach takes the No. 1 spot in 2009 California DUI collisions among cities of its size. The city has been scrambling to find ways to address the issue, recently voting downthe idea of posting mugshots of repeat DUI offenders on its Facebook page.

The Costa Mesa Police Department will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint this Friday, April 2, targeting drunk drivers, underage drinking, and unlicensed drivers.

The checkpoint will be at Newport Boulevard/Flower Street from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Law enforcement officers from police departments across the region will be working to arrest impaired drivers and teenagers who have illegally used drugs and alcohol.

“I can think of nothing more tragic than being responsible for an accident that seriously injures or takes the life of an innocent person.

Drinking and driving destroys families and has life long implications for those that we arrest. Events such as Spring break, school proms and graduation nights that should be a fun time for our youth often turn into tragedy.

We will do what we can to prevent that by taking an aggressive, zero tolerance approach when it comes to intoxicated drivers,” said Christopher Shawkey, Chief of the Costa Mesa Police Department.

The Costa Mesa Police Department will dedicate special DUI patrols focusing on drunk drivers and deploying officers immediately to calls where underage drinking has been reported.

College students, high school teens and others who break alcohol laws will be arrested for DUI and/or underage drinking.

Those hosting underage drinking parties, serving or selling alcohol to those under 21 will be in court while others are celebrating sober.

In 2008, California law enforcement reported 165 teens/young adults, ages 14-20, were killed and 4407 injured in alcohol involved collisions.

Those stopped and found driving with any alcohol in their systems are subject to automatic license suspension.

The limit for DUI charges is lower than that for adults – .05 BAC.

For many young teens 1 or 2 drinks will put them well over the legal limit, facing jail time and penalties in the thousands of dollars.

This DUI enforcement operation is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Please Report Drunk Driving, Call 9-1-1!

Our Newport Beach DUI Lawyers have learned that Newport Beach police will be ramping up DUI enforcement tonight as many people celebrating St. Patrick’s Day will have a little Irish spirit — and spirits — in them.

Three squad cars, each with two officers, will patrol the Balboa Peninsula and the rest of the city to find potential drunk drivers, police said. The six officers will complement regular police in the city.

Police will also start “Operation Trapdoor,” in which two pairs of plain-clothes officers will be spending time in peninsula bars to look for law violations.

Sgt. Steve Burdette said the undercover officers from the vice and Alcohol Beverage Control units will search for people trying to get into bars with fake identification or who are breaking other laws.

Related articles

• St. Patrick’s Day DUI Checkpoint Planned in Santa Monica (laist.com)
• Additional officers to target impaired drivers within county (theolympian.com)
• Police, Penn St. target St. Patty’s Day lookalike (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Drive Safe Not Buzzed This St. Patrick’s Day!* (theplussizemommy.com)

Sobriety Checkpoints Counter Underage Drinking

UC Irvine has launched its first campus wide intervention against binge and underage drinking.

UCI Health Education and UCI Police Department (UCIPD) are working together to implement a program to minimize alcohol consumption and keep students safe.

UCI is currently seeking a $34,000 grant to help cover the cost of four DUI checkpoints and six DUI saturation patrols. These checkpoints will take place over the course of the year.

Recently, UCIPD held its first sobriety checkpoint on campus. While no one was arrested, they hoped this would encourage students to be more responsible and instill UCI’s zero tolerance policy.

Additionally, UCIPD has started the Safe Onto Sober program where arrested individuals will be placed in holding cells at police departments in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Here they will remain in holding until they sober up.

Arrested individuals will also be required to attend the Health Education Center’s alcohol education program.

UCIPD encourages people to utilize this program if their friends or guests have had too much to drink. Officers will assess whether the individual needs medical attention or should be detained until he or she sobers up.

UCIPD reminds students this program is intended not to get students in trouble but rather to help and educate them.

Related articles:

• Seal Beach: Results of DUI Checkpoint (cehwiedel.com)
• Car Seizures At DUI Checkpoints Raise Money, Legal Questions (huffingtonpost.com)
• LAPD Ups DUI Patrols and Checkpoints for Super Bowl Sunday (laist.com)
• CA Sobriety Checkpoints Are Becoming More About Profit Than Drunk Driving (dvorak.org)

The AVOID website notes “special DUI Crackdowns on Super Bowl Sunday”, and they are coming.  We have more information about Orange County DUI than anyone, and got the following press release from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game. That’s why the Avoid the 38 Orange County DUI Campaign is joining forces with the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to conduct countywide DUI roving patrols on February 7, 2010.

On Super Bowl Sunday 2009, 11 people died in California due to alcohol-involved collisions.  This is three times the daily average.  There were another 163 injured, which was over twice the daily average. In 2008 and 2009, more people were killed on Super Bowl Sunday due to alcohol-involved collisions than any other day during the year.

“We want to pass our safety message to everyone who will be drinking this weekend” said Sgt. J. Brittain of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Bureau. “Please make the right decision and pass your keys to a designated driver before the Super Bowl party begins. Getting caught driving while impaired will result in costly penalties including the loss of your driving privileges.”

Impaired driving crashes—and fatalities—can be prevented. Designating a sober driver should be on the top of everyone’s Super Bowl party list.  Here are some ways you can help save lives, too.

If you are hosting or attending a Super Bowl party:

•    Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
•    Serve lots of food—and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
•    Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game and begin serving coffee and dessert.
•    Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.
•    Remember, you can be held liable if someone you served alcohol to ends up in an impaired driving crash.
•    Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
•    If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come get you; or stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
•    Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive while impaired.
•    Always buckle up—it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

For more information call our Orange County DUI lawyers at (877) 568-2977

Related articles

• Be Safe on Superbowl Sunday (theplussizemommy.com)
• Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving (anneonlife.com)
• Super Bowl XLIV: (raleighpublicrelations.com)

The information below is brought to you by our San Bernardino DUI Lawyers:

Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk -Avoid the 25 DUI Task Force Deploying Roving Saturation Patrols Super Bowl Sunday

San Bernardino, – Sheriff Rod Hoops announced today that he is teaming up with the National Football League (NFL), California Office of Traffic Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and law enforcement officials to remind everyone to designate a sober driver if they plan to be drinking alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday.

This Sunday, law enforcement is again asking for the public’s help. “Drunk driving is the top priority for the police, CHP, and sheriff’s deputies, but everyone who is hosting a party and serving drinks could have one of the best defenses there is against drunk drivers; a Designated Sober Driver,” said San Bernardino County Sheriff Rod Hoops “We’re asking for our community’s help by planning for a Designated Sober Driver at every super bowl party long before kick off.”

Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game. Yet, it has also become one of the Nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving. The Avoid the 25 San Bernardino DUI Task Force will be deploying DUI saturation patrols targeting those who drive impaired.

According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. On Super Bowl Sunday 2008, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.

In California 11 people were killed Super Sunday 2009 and another 133 were injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions. Tragically, that is 3 times the daily average killed in California with alcohol as a factor and those injured were other twice the daily average.

“We continue to see far too many people hurt or killed as a result of impaired driving. Please do your part to stop this senseless crime,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “To help ensure that this happens, the Avoid the 25 partners are dedicated to arresting impaired driving. To help, we ask everyone; ‘Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911!’”

The following cities will have additional law enforcement personnel on patrol Super Bowl Sunday specifically to arrest drunk drivers: Victorville, Loma Linda, Yucaipa, Needles, Hesperia, Big Bear, Highland, Grand Terrace, 29 Palms, Yucca Valley, Redlands, Colton, Rialto, Barstow, Upland, Fontana, Chino and San Bernardino.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:

• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in an impaired-driving crash.
• Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
• Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
• Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game and begin serving coffee and dessert.
• Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.

If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:

• Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
• Never let a friend get behind the wheel of their vehicle if you think they are about to drive while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
• Always buckle up – it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.

Refer: Dave Phelps, Sergeant
Station: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
Phone No.: (909) 387-3700

ROD HOOPS, SHERIFF
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT
c/o Public Affairs Division
655 East Third Street
San Bernardino, California 92415-0061
Telephone:  (909) 387-3700

Related articles:

• Be Safe on Superbowl Sunday (theplussizemommy.com)
• Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving (anneonlife.com)
• No More Shul In San Bernadino (lukeford.net)

Information was passed on from the police via press release to our Riverside DUI Lawyers regarding DUI patrols for the Superbowl this year.

Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk

Avoid the 30 DUI Task Force Deploys Roving Saturation Patrols Super Bowl Sunday

Riverside, California- Riverside County AVOID the 30 program announced today that they are teaming up with the National Football League (NFL), California Office of Traffic Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and law enforcement officials across the state to remind everyone to designate a sober driver if they plan to be drinking alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday.

“We want to pass our safety message to everyone who will be drinking this weekend, real Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” said Supervisor Karen Haverkamp, the Riverside County AVOID the 30 coordinator. “Please act responsibly, designate a sober driver before the Super Bowl party begins and leave your car keys at home.”

Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game. Yet, it has also become one of the Nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving. The AVOID the 30 Riverside County DUI Task Force will be deploying DUI saturation patrols targeting those who drive impaired.

According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. On Super Bowl Sunday 2008, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.

In California 11 people were killed Super Sunday 2009 and another 133 were injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions. Tragically, that is 3 times the daily average killed in California with alcohol as a factor and those injured were over twice the daily average.

“Designating a sober driver should be on the top of everyone’s Super Bowl party list,” said Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach.  “It’s just one of several easy steps to help save lives.”

“We continue to see far too many people hurt or killed as a result of impaired driving. Please do your part to stop this senseless crime,” said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety.  “To help ensure that this happens, the Avoid the 30 partners are dedicated to arresting impaired driving.  To help, we ask everyone; ‘Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911!’”

Riverside County Avoid the 30 will be conducting enforcement operations across the county for the Super Bowl Sunday Crackdown.  Saturation patrols will be held in Beaumont, Blythe, Canyon Lake, Coachella, La Quinta, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Palm Springs, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, and Temecula.  In addition, CHP is on Maximum Enforcement for the weekend.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:

Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in an impaired-driving crash.

Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.

Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.

Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game and begin serving coffee and dessert.

Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.

If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:

Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home.

Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.

If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.

Never let a friend get behind the wheel of their vehicle if you think they are about to drive while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

Always buckle up – it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.

For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org or www.avoidthe30.org

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Contact: Karen Haverkamp, Traffic Bureau Administrative Supervisor
Phone: (951) 3353-7980 or khaver@riversideca.gov

Related articles

• Be Safe on Superbowl Sunday (theplussizemommy.com)
• Don’t Let the Holidays Be Ruined By Drinking and Driving, Kentucky Lawyer Says (prweb.com)
• Cops Aren’t the Only Ones With Breathalyzers (kitsapsun.com)

I received an email which led me to the following site:

www.udadd.com

As you’ll see, it’s a website dedicated to the proposition that the government should not mandate what adults (that is, persons over the age of 18) do regarding alcohol.  It’s interesting that a person can be old enough to vote, to die for one’s country, but not have an “adult” beverage.  I’m not necessarily promoting this site, but I think the webmaster is onto something – and it is another example of how politics infects the discussion about drinking and driving.

Related articles

• Singapore Will Give Free Drinks To People With Boobs (manolith.com)
• Problem Drinkers Finding More Help Online (time.com)
• Is a minimum alcohol price now more likely? (leftfootforward.org)

From our friends at Make Use Of comes word of an app for avoiding DUIs – R-U-Buzzed.

If you had some alcoholic drink and not sure if you are OK to drive, check out R-U-Buzzed. It is free blood alcohol level calculator for iPhone that can calculate and tell you if the amount of alcohol you took can affect your driving.

It displays your blood alcohol content based on various information that you input and warns you to designate a sober driver if you are already wasted.

To know if you are already drunk, just enter your weight, gender, hours drinking, and the amount of alcohol taken.  If the app finds out that you are already wasted, it will call a cab for you (works in Colorado, USA only). If you are elsewhere, the app will provide links to cab numbers in your area.

Although this app may not be very accurate in computing your alcohol blood content as it ignores other important factors such as drink variations or individual metabolisms, it certainly reminds people to drive responsibly and hopefully it helps in preventing many driving accidents.

Features:

• Calculates your blood alcohol content to know if you are safe to drive.
• Calls a cab for you in Colorado, USA.
• Provide links to cab numbers in other areas.
• Free to download.

Check out R-U-Buzzed @ iTunes App Store

Related articles

• NHS Drinks Tracker (nhsexposedblog.blogspot.com)
• College Students Get More Drunk When Drinks Are Cheap (health.usnews.com)
• 1 in 10 Binge Drinkers Get Behind the Wheel (abcnews.go.com)

UPI article appears at

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/01/20/Ice-cream-causes-positive-alcohol-test/UPI-40821232496582/, and also below:

FRANKSTON, Australia, Jan. 20 (UPI) — An Australian man challenged to prove his claim that ice cream gave him a blood alcohol reading demonstrated his defense in court.