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Find us on FacebookVolume 82: October 24, 2011  

Costco's $22.5M for I-1183 is state record

Costco, the biggest force behind the push to privatize liquor sales in Washington, dumped another $8.9 million into the Initiative 1183 campaign Monday, according to new data on file at the state Public Disclosure Commission.

 

That donation, a new record, brings the company's contributions to $22.5 million, including cash and in-kind help - which is also a record for a single ballot campaign. The fat contribution came on the final day that donations larger than $5,000 are allowed. I-1183 has raised $22.7 million from all sources.

 

With another $11.7 million raised by the No on 1183 campaign, the measure is drawing the most money of any ballot measure in state history - about $34.4 million. The opposition group's contributions include $9.4 million from the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Inc., and $1 million from state and national beer wholesaler associations.

 

Costco stands to benefit from passage of the measure as it brings its wholesale pricing sales model to liquor in Washington. It could negotiate directly with distilleries for good prices on hard liquor.

 

The company's donations easily eclipse the $16 million spent by the national soda industry last fall to repeal a handful of taxes led by a 2-cent per can tax on soda pop. The American Beverage Association was widely seen as sending a message to other states that might be tempted to jack up taxes on sugar drinks.

 

Monday was the deadline to receive contributions greater than $5,000, but PDC spokeswoman Lori Anderson said campaigns have five days to report those. That makes Saturday the deadline, which means some may not be posted for the public until Monday.

UPDATES to original 4:56 p.m. post clarify that $8.9 million is a record for a single donation to a Washington ballot measure and that the large-contribution deadline was Monday (not that $5,000 is mere coins).


Source: The Olympian

Wash. Liquor Privatization Initiative - Truth-Squadding The Claims

Washington voters are getting bombarded with a twenty million dollar fight over the privatization of hard liquor sales. Initiative 11-83 on the fall ballot would close state liquor stores.

 

Costco and other large retailers are funding the "yes" side in an effort to pick up that business. Beer, wine and spirits wholesalers are bankrolling the "no" effort. Both sides make wildly contradictory claims.

 

You might call the ad war over the liquor privatization initiative the battle of the sheriffs. A TV spot from the "No" campaign features a southwest Washington sheriff named Mark Nelson.

 

"Alcohol kills more kids than any other drug," Nelson claims in the ad. "That's why we urge you to vote no on Initiative 1183."

 

Now here's a "Yes" on 1183 ad featuring former sheriff Dale Brandland from the Bellingham area.

 

"1183 dedicates millions in new revenues for local law enforcement and public safety programs across the state."

 

Public safety concerns likely led Washington voters last year to reject not one, but two ballot measures to end state control of liquor sales in Washington. This year, Costco is back with what it considers a new and improved version aimed at addressing those concerns.

 

To view the full story, click on this link: http://news.opb.org/article/wash._liquor_privatization_initiative_truth-squadding_the_claims/ 

 

Source: OPB News

Editorial: The Olympian, Washington: Multiple liquor ideas only serving to confuse the voters

Washington's Liquor Control Board is assailed from multiple directions.

 

First, Costco, the giant wholesaler, has pushed Initiative 1183 to the Nov. 8, general election ballot which would privatize the sale and distribution of spirits, stripping the Liquor Control Board of its monopoly.

 

Now, before that issue is even decided, two bidders have stepped forward with proposals to take over the state's system for warehousing and distributing spirits.

 

We have previously editorialized against I-1183 on the grounds that it's bad for public safety and, through a giant loophole in the initiative, could lead to the sale of hard liquor through minimarts and convenience stores which have a horrible record of selling beer and wine to minors.

 

In the wake of last year's defeat of two liquor privatization initiatives, including one by Costco, state lawmakers were asked to take a first bite of the apple - privatizing just the distribution portion of the state monopoly.

 

The goal was to make an immediate profit at a time when state lawmakers were struggling to balance the two-year operating budget.

 

Quite frankly, we were surprised that a bill passed the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire. We saw it as a desperate attempt by cash-starved lawmakers to infuse several hundred million dollars into state coffers so they could save education and social service programs.

 

To view the full story, click on this link: http://www.theolympian.com/2011/10/18/1842482/multiple-liquor-ideas-only-serving.html#storylink=misearch 

 

Source: The Olympian

Preventing Unlawful Alcohol Sales

Study explores responsible retail practices to protect public health and safety

Responsible Retailing is not as simple as a single clerk checking an ID to determine an individual's age or the authenticity of a license. For businesses licensed to serve alcohol on premises, managing and controlling its consumption is important for the safety of the consumer and the public at large.

 

The Responsible Retailing Forum and its partners, which include retailers, alcohol beverage producers and law enforcement, in association with the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA) produced a report that examined the problems establishments face in serving alcohol on-premise.

 

The report details responsible practices that on-premise establishments can implement and monitor to be effective when serving alcohol. Among them is active management practices and regular training for employees on what to look for to prevent serving alcohol to minors and to refuse selling to intoxicated individuals.

 

"These measures, among others, aim to protect the health and safety of customers, staff and the community while reducing licensee and employee risks to issues such as penalties for unlawful sales, or legal liabilities associated with alcohol-related injuries," said Brad Krevor, president, Responsible Retailing Forum.

 

The Forum gives retailers concrete tools on how to create an environment that manages alcohol sales and service responsibly.

 

"This report identifies widely used practices that prove to be effective for alcohol sales as well as those that are not widely used, but offer potential to raise responsible retailing performance," said Steve Schmidt, senior vice president of public policy and communications for NABCA. "What makes this report important is that it outlines noteworthy practices and offers concrete suggestions for managers to be better trained in monitoring clerk and server performance," he added.

 

A detailed report is available by visiting http://www.rrforum.org 

 

Source: NABCA

Column: The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio: Prohibition's aftermath has lessons for today

When it comes to alcohol, Ohio has a unique claim to fame. The state was a driving force behind Prohibition, created by the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which criminalized the production, transportation, sale and consumption of alcohol by anyone in the United States.

 

As the nation was transitioning from the 19th to the 20th century, both the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance League called the Buckeye state home. More specifically, these two influential, teetotaler advocacy groups set up their bases of power in Westerville - a town that, a century later, I was privileged to represent in the Ohio House of Representatives.

 

All this comes to mind as famed Academy Award-winning Director Ken Burns' Prohibition, his documentary film series for PBS, airs this week. In describing the unintended consequences of Prohibition, PBS' promotional website notes, "The enshrining of a faith-driven moral code in the Constitution paradoxically caused millions of Americans to rethink their definition of morality. Thugs became celebrities, responsible authority was rendered impotent. Social mores in place for a century were obliterated. Especially among the young, and most especially among young women, liquor consumption rocketed...[t]he film raises vital questions that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago - about means and ends, individual rights and responsibilities, the proper role of government."

 

To view the full story, click on this link: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2011/10/05/prohibitions-aftermath-has-lessons-for-today.html 

 

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

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