Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Festivals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Assembly committee approves measure requiring prevention tools at large music festivals
Summary
AB 668 would require large music festivals to make drink‑spiking test strips and lids available on request and to establish reporting requirements; supporters described prevention benefits and witnesses recounted personal experiences, while venue groups urged technical fixes.
Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal presented AB 668 to extend existing preventive measures for drink spiking—such as test strips and drink lids—from bars and nightclubs to large music festivals. The bill would require festivals to display availability of test strips and drink lids upon request and create reporting protocols when an incident occurs.
Supporters including Alcohol Justice, Planned Parenthood Generation Action (witness Cassandra Veil), and student and public‑health advocates described drink spiking as underreported and argued the measures are preventive and not onerous. Veil, a Sacramento State student, testified she had been a victim of drink spiking and urged adoption of prevention measures.
The National Independent Venue Association of California and other venue groups said they oppose unless the bill is amended, arguing festivals are complex operations with many vendors, and they raised concerns over unclear mandates for test strip supply, one‑size‑fits‑all lid requirements, and costs for small and mid‑sized venues. The author and committee members discussed amendments and implementation details; the committee voted to pass AB 668 to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.
