In response to growing concerns over underage alcohol consumption, Ventura County officials have passed a social host ordinance that would allow authorities to cite party hosts with a $1,000 fine.

The Board of Supervisors approved a first reading of the ordinance Tuesday. The law should be finalized the law on April 18, if all goes according to plan.

A civil fine imposed against social hosts and landowners will enable the county to recover costs associated with responding to loud and unruly gatherings where young people consume alcohol.

It may help prevent underage drinking at home and reduce drunk driving, according to Geoff Dean, chief deputy with the Ventura County Sheriff 's Department. The law will allow deputies to cite hosts without going to court, he said.

East County authorities receive five or six calls per weekend reporting underage parties. But under the current rules, deputies can't do much aside from dispersing the gatherings, said Daniel Hicks, administrator for the Ventura County Limits Project, a community partnership for responsible alcohol practice and policies.

"Authorities can't hold people accountable unless they can prove that the host is contributing to the delinquency of minors, which is a criminal offense that requires evidence," Hicks said.

"Home parties are the number one environment where young people get drunk," he said. The ordinance was created to stop rowdy parties and damaging behavior. Public safety will improve because fights and gang-related incidents are often tied to alcohol, Hicks said.

Supervisor Judy Mikels, who represents the Simi Valley, Moorpark and the surrounding areas, was concerned at first that the ordinance's original wording was broad and neighbors could use it against each other simply for harassment. But the wording was changed and the sheriff's department assured Mikels that the intent isn't to hunt for violators, she said.

The cities of Ojai and Fillmore have already implemented a social host law, and Moorpark officials are working on an ordinance that will mirror the county's version, according to Capt. Jeff Matson of the Moorpark Police Department.

Camarillo officials are waiting to see what the county adopts, and, according to Commander Mike Lewis, Camarillo's chief of police, they will propose an ordinance for their city similar to the county's version.

Simi Valley already has an ordinance that provides a way to deal with parties when police are called, but the city's police department has asked the city to review a social host ordinance like the one in the county, city attorney David Hirsch said.

In a Nutshell

Residents who host underage drinking

parties in the unincorporated areas of Ventura County will soon be cited and fined $1,000 if authorities are called to

disperse an unruly or loud gathering.

Several cities are following suit.