Sometimes people have an overly rosy image of Morgan Hill:
 Upscale housing, affluent residents, home to a new Trader
Joe’s.
”
It’s the new Saratoga,
”
according to one resident.
Sometimes people have an overly rosy image of Morgan Hill:Â Upscale housing, affluent residents, home to a new Trader Joe’s. “It’s the new Saratoga,” according to one resident.
But there’s a darker side to the community, one which even many local residents may not be familiar with:Â Teen substance abuse.
According to a memo released by Morgan Hill Police Chief Bruce Cumming, “Parties or gatherings where alcohol is served and where underage youth attend and consume alcoholic beverages in private homes are somewhat common in Morgan Hill. The police department has responded to an average of 15 to 20 large parties a year for the last several years. Most often these parties are sizable, attended by 20 to 100 young people, most of them less than 21 years old. Usually no parents or responsible adults are present.”
He provides a typical scenario: “A large party was hosted by underage youths in a private home while parents were out of town. No adults were present other than a sleeping grandfather who was unaware of the party. Drunkenness, noise, fights and other nuisances prompted multiple calls to police from angry neighbors. All on-duty police officers and sheriff’s deputies responded to quell the party. They were met with rocks and bottles (from) drunken and hostile young people.”
A group of community activists – the Morgan Hill/San Martin Substance Abuse Partnership – has been working with city leaders to come up with effective solutions to this problem because police acknowledge that current city ordinances and actions haven’t handled the situation successfully.
One answer being proposed is a Social Host Ordinance modeled on laws adopted in Ventura County and other locations. It would lower the threshold of response to “two or more persons,” change the definition of “responsible person,” apply the law to commercial properties and increase the financial consequences of allowing such behavior. The Morgan Hill City Council may act upon this proposal soon, after it has been submitted to the city’s Youth Advisory Council for reaction.
The Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership is exploring several other ideas to reduce this problem in the community:
n Working with the Morgan Hill Unified School District to recognize substance abuse among students, apply their Zero Tolerance policy more consistently, and provide more counseling services aimed at substance abuse.
n Working with state agencies to deal with the problems related to sales of “Alcopops” (sweet distilled spirit beverages which are currently treated like beer and ale). The hope is to have them reclassified as “hard liquor” which will make them less accessible to teens because sales are forbidden at convenience stores and prices will increase due to additional taxes applied to these products.
More local residents are needed to help advance the goals of the Substance Abuse Prevention Partnership. Particularly invited to become involved are counselors, therapists, spiritual directors, pastors, rabbis, health care professionals, representatives from public and private schools, law enforcement personnel, scout leaders – anyone who would like to combat this growing problem in South County.
Chuck Flagg teaches English at Mt. Madonna High School. Contact him at cf****@sv**********.com or write to him at P.O. Box 22365, Gilroy, Calif. 95021.
