S.F. supes pass alcohol fee; mayor vows veto

[alp227]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

(09-15) 11:17 PDT San Francisco -- An alcohol fee to help cover San Francisco's costs to care for inebriates won preliminary approval from the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. But Mayor Gavin Newsom vowed to quash the proposal with a veto.

The planned fee, the first of its kind in the state, has drawn the wrath of the alcohol and hospitality industries and support from service providers, San Francisco's public health chief and Health Commission, and city employees unions.

It would generate an estimated $16 million a year and pay for the bulk of expenses the city incurs for unreimbursed hospital care, ambulance transport, prevention programs and a sobering center for problem alcoholics.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/15/BA9M1FE0PL.DTL

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The Chronicle also relayed this badass quote by Supervisor Chris Daly: "So when I hear people complaining about homeless people passed out on the sidewalk, and I hear some of the same very people complaining about a 4- or 5-cent charge on a drink, honestly, to me, it sounds like a bunch of f- whining."

Yep. You want to have a drink and public safety, you gotta pay extra. Alcohol has potential to be abused and harmful to society (such as DUIs, drunken attacks on others, date rape, etc.)

[RandomThoughts]

1. The forum has gone completly fictional.

does that every once in awhile.



And I am still due beer and travel money.


Note: Fiction can be choice of what is posted also, out of perspective also.

[EFerrari]

2. LOL. Sing it, Chris.

They're shutting down substance abuse clinics all over town for lack of funding.

[DJ13]

3. If they can use that excuse for tobacco, why not alcohol?

Imagine a whole host of products others frown on, why we could fund the entire government on sin taxes alone.

[Jack_DeLeon]

4. It would suck to have to pay more because others cant hold their liquor.

I drink and I havent fucked up my life, why should I pay because others do, not that I will anyways since I dont live in that stupid city.

[SnakeEyes]

5. That kind of arguement can be used in so many ways

and is quite popular on the right to attack progressive ideas.

We are all in this together man.