Why Alcohol Policy Matters in Long Beach

Alcohol-related harm does not happen by chance. It is shaped by policy choices: where alcohol is sold, how much it costs, how it is marketed, how late it is served, and whether rules are enforced. Those decisions determine how alcohol affects public safety, neighborhood livability, and daily life in residential communities.

For years, we’ve been told that overconsumption is a personal failure—a matter of individual responsibility or poor choices. That narrative was cultivated by an industry with a vested interest in deflecting attention away from the real drivers of harm. Public health research is clear: drinking patterns are heavily influenced by conditions most people never see. Easy access, high outlet density, aggressive pricing and discounts, and constant advertising all push consumption upward long before anyone orders a drink. These are structural forces, not individual flaws—and they are exactly what alcohol policy is meant to address.

I’ve spent more than 30 years working as a public health policy expert focused on preventing avoidable harm through effective regulation. For more than four years, my work concentrated specifically on alcohol policy in California, examining how pricing, advertising, and various forms of regulation can prevent harm.

In 2022, I moved to Long Beach and made my home in Belmont Shore. What I see here—particularly the effects of late-night alcohol operations in a dense residential neighborhood—reflects patterns I’ve studied for decades. The problems are familiar. So are the solutions. This site is where I bring that experience to my adopted city.

My goal is to make alcohol policy understandable, grounded in evidence, and usable in the real world, to suggest concrete policy pathways aimed at reducing preventable harm and protecting both residents and visitors.