Social Host Laws – From Implementation to Evaluation

One of the best parts of being an evaluator is getting to see first-hand the exciting things our clients are working on and being able to contribute to their goals, and it is always an honor to be invited to participate in panels/trainings with our clients. Yesterday, EVALCORP’s President, Dr. Kristen Donovan, had the privilege of being a presenter at Ventura County’s Social Host Law Workshop. The workshop was organized by Ventura County Behavioral Health, Alcohol and Drug Programs - Prevention Services in collaboration with the Thousand Oaks Sheriff’s Office Sub-station. The goal of the workshop was to share lessons learned from inception to evaluation relative to Social Host Laws across Ventura County.

The workshop was facilitated by distinguished presenters instrumental in either the passage or current enforcement of Social Host Laws. They included:  Patrick Zarate, Division Manager, Ventura County Alcohol and Drug Programs; Dan Hicks, Prevention Services Manager, Ventura County Alcohol and Drug Programs; Sheriff Geoff Dean, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office; Jacqui Irwin, Councilmember and former Mayor of the City of Thousand Oaks; and Captain James Fryhoff, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Click here to see photos of the workshop and the presentations.

During the workshop, Dr. Donovan presented key findings from a recent social host evaluation conducted in the Cities of Ventura and Thousand Oaks. Many positive findings emerged from evaluations conducted by EVALCORP, including the following:

• High school students are aware of the social host ordinance (i.e., 66% of high school students in the cities of Ventura and Thousand Oaks indicated awareness of the SHO). 
• High school students surveyed showed support for the SHO. Over 1/3 of 12th graders in Thousand Oaks and Ventura thought that the SHO was a good way to stop underage drinking at parties. 
• California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) data revealed a downward trend in past 30-day alcohol use since the social host ordinances were implemented. 
• Social host ordinances are consistently being enforced, with an average of 17 citations occurring per year in the cities of Ventura and Thousand Oaks. 
• Patrol officers and deputies interviewed as part of the evaluation believe the social host ordinance to be a useful tool. 
• 70% of patrol officer surveyed indicated no negative consequences of using the social host ordinance. 
• Re-offense rates are low, as very few hosts are citied more than once. 
• Citation fees are being collected (over $55,000 in revenue collected in Ventura and more than $122,000 in Thousand Oaks). 

Click here to view the full presentation on SHO in Ventura County. Or click here to see our corresponding Social Host Ordinance Issue Briefing.