Since the Ventura County social host ordinance went into effect in 2006, authorities have issued 83 citations to property owners in unincorporated areas who allowed underage drinking on their premises.

Twelve of the citations were issued in Oak Park, including one given in May to a 19-year-old male on Bryndale Lane.

Residents in unincorporated Ventura County can be fined $1,000 or more for allowing minors to consume alcoholic beverages on their property.

Young people who drink alcohol are at greater risk of being assaulted or involved in auto accidents, and girls are more vulnerable to sexual abuse.

Capt. Frank O’Hanlon of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department said the social host ordinance is an effective tool in controlling underage drinking.

“It has improved the quality of life in Oak Park by reducing the number of raucous parties that oftentimes spill over into adjoining homes and lawns, creating problems of public urination, littering of cans and bottles and vandalism to private property.”

Derek Ross, chairman of the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) said the social host ordinance serves as a deterrent to underage drinking in private homes.

“When a parent gets the violation, they do pay some severe fines and then the word spreads around the community,” Ross said.

If the parents are not present and an investigation proves the parents didn’t approve of the gathering and alcohol consumption, then the responsible party at the residence is held accountable, O’Hanlon said.

All 10 cities in Ventura County enacted social host ordinances and some cities, such as Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, charge up to $2,500 for a first offense.

Officials in Agoura Hills decided to copy the Ventura County ordinance in 2007.

Authorities have issued four citations in Agoura since the ordinance went into effect. They are trying to educate parents at city functions to make sure they understand the law and its consequences.

“We believe it has made an impact because it seems as if the word has spread among parents and kids,” said Lt. David Thompson of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.

Calabasas and Westlake Village don’t have a social host ordinance, but officials in those cities say their laws already include provisions to control unruly house parties.

“Our city reviewed the option of adopting a social host ordinance similar to the one adopted several years ago in Agoura Hills, but opted not to do so for two reasons: (1) unruly gatherings are rare in our community; and (2) the existing Municipal Code Section (Chapter 4.6) was felt to be adequate in terms of a deterrent,” Ray Taylor, city manager of Westlake Village said in an email.

If a disturbance does not subside after an initial warning and deputies must return to the scene to interrupt a party, the persons responsible for the gathering could be fined for law enforcement expenses, Taylor said.

According to the Ventura County Behavioral Health Department, parents often dismiss underage drinking as a rite of passage because they erroneously believe they are protecting their children by allowing them to consume alchohol at home rather than in public.

But statistics show that nearly three in 10 binge drinkers under the age of 25 last consumed alcohol in their own homes, and 45 percent report last binge drinking at someone else’s home.

Before the Ventura County ordinance went into effect there was little authorities could do in situations where underage partygoers were drinking alcohol. So rather than making arrests—which are difficult if teens aren’t caught red-handed holding a bottle—the social host ordinance provides an “administrative” tool that allows officers more latitude in dealing with the problem.

Some parents may opt to have their child perform community service in lieu of paying the fine. Law enforcement can also recommend intervention programs for children and education for parents.