San Francisco Nixes Alcohol Ad Contracts - bans booze advertisements on public property

[The Straight Story]

San Francisco Nixes Alcohol Ad Contracts
City bans booze advertisements on public property

Despite the fact that municipalities are in desperate need of cash, the city of San Francisco has given final approval to an ordinance that bans new contracts from allowing alcohol
advertisements on city property, such as newspaper racks, kiosks and public toilets.

The ordinance however, exempts current long-term contracts with JCDecaux and Clear Channel because of unusual punitive clauses barring action by the city. These companies will be allowed to continue alcohol advertising under current contracts for "Out of Home" or "Street Furniture" ads.

"The Board took decisive action to protect youth from alcohol ads in any future contracts," said Bruce Lee Livingston, executive director of Marin Institute, an alcohol industry watchdog. "But the progress is bittersweet since Clear Channel has a ridiculous city contract that will let them put up alcohol ads until 2023. When my seven year-old son graduates from college the ads will be gone," he added.

The new ordinance, introduced by San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, mirrors tobacco ad bans and follows previously enacted bans on BART and SF MUNI alcohol ads. "We put a cork in the bottle on alcohol ads with this legislation," Mirkarimi said.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/01/ca_sf_alcohol.html