Mindell Penn, Chair of the Richmond City Council Public Safety/Public Services Committee has been notified that Richmond resident and activist Mildred Carlton has been selected for the People Who Make A difference Award 2003 by the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors and the Alcohol and Other Drugs Advisory Board. The purpose of the award is to acknowledge individuals who have contributed significantly towards combating substance abuse in Contra Costa County communities. Mildred was nominated by the Public Safety/Public Services Committee, which includes Council members Butt, Griffin, Penn and Rogers.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th at 9:30 in the Board of Supervisors chambers in Martinez. Refreshments will be served after the ceremony.

The nomination included the following description of Ms. Carlton's achievements:

1)   What did this individual/group do to combat alcohol and drugs? Mildred Carlton organized the Richmond Citizens Alcohol Coalition in 2000 with the objective of fully utilizing existing state and local laws and regulations as well as proposing and advocating new laws to effectively regulate or close down businesses practicing irresponsible alcohol sales practices. Ms. Carlton and the Coalition, of which she is the technical expert and leader, have actively pursued new local legislation to better enforce restrictions on irresponsible public drinking of alcoholic beverages. In the process, Ms. Carlton has become an expert on Alcohol Beverage Control law, using her knowledge to educate the Richmond City Council, the Richmond Police Department,  the Richmond Planning Commission, the Richmond City Attorney’s Office, and others.

2)   How did the result of their efforts “Make a Difference” in curtailing alcohol and other drugs? Ms. Carlton and the Richmond Citizens Alcohol Coalition successfully proposed and advocated for City Council Resolution 79-01 to implement Section 23800 (e) of the California Business and Professions Code, which permits a local governing body to request the imposition of conditions to be placed on a license to sell alcoholic beverages at the time of transfer. See www.ci.richmond.ca.us/Non-Flash/Public/Liquor/index.html <http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/Non-Flash/Public/Liquor/index.html>. She has continued to compile a comprehensive list of conditions acceptable to ABC and to successfully advocate for their imposition on both license transfers and new licenses requiring conditional use permits, and she researched crime statistics at each location to provide justification. Ms. Carlton discovered a flaw in the existing ordinance regulating drinking alcoholic beverages in parks that was an impediment to its successful enforcement, and she led the effort for a revision, eventually passed by the City Council in March 2003. She has personally monitored every problem liquor sales outlet in Richmond and currently has on file a protest against one licensee that will be heard before an ABC administrative law judge in June 2003. She continues to be the leading advocate for amendments to Richmond’s Municipal Code to incorporate the full provisions of the recently passed Contra Costa County “deemed approval” ordinance.

3)   Please list or describe any additional information you consider necessary. Feel free to attach more paper as needed for further comments. You may also include newspaper clippings, public acknowledgments or publicity, which highlight the efforts of the nominee. Because of her dedication and success in achieving significantly better local control of the negative impacts of inappropriate alcoholic beverage sale and use in Richmond, she has improved the quality of life in the community. This nomination is being made by the four members of the Richmond City Council who sit on the Public Safety Committee and have derived extensive benefit from the work of Ms. Carlton. The best testimony to her work are the new resolutions and ordinances, the extensive lists of conditions on new licensees, and the liquor stores in high-crime neighborhoods that have closed due to her efforts.