Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Laguna Beach — City officials will draft a medical marijuana ballot measure as an alternative to a citizen-backed initiative pushing for two dispensaries in the city.
The measure, considered a way for the city to keep local control, could include allowing one dispensary under certain circumstances, with the operator being vetted by the city's Planning Commission, City Manager John Pietig said.
City officials said they are hopeful that by providing an alternative, voters may see no need to support the citizen-backed initiative. Voters also can choose to keep the city's ban on dispensaries in place by voting no on both measures.
At last week's meeting, the City Council voted 4-0 to direct Laguna Beach police Chief Laura Farinella to return to the July 26 meeting with a ballot measure to counter the initiative sponsored by Laguna Beach residents Elizabeth Toomey and her nephew, Corey Aufhammer.
The initiative would repeal the city's ban on dispensaries and make access to medical marijuana easier for residents who have a legal right to use it.
The owners, operators and employees of two dispensaries would be vetted through background checks and other security measures, said Debbie Tharp, who with Toomey and Aufhammer collected 2,414 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot.
The dispensaries would be licensed to operate in industrial or commercial areas and would be required to stay 1,000 feet from schools. The only locations that could allow this would be along Laguna Canyon Road or on Coast Highway.
The City Council vote followed a proposal by Farinella to provide voters education about the citizen-backed initiative instead of creating a competing ballot measure. Farinella said she thought a city ballot measure might be confusing for the voters, adding another piece of legislation to an already packed ballot.
"The worst case for me is if the citizen-backed initiative moves forward," Farinella said.
The council passed on the education effort and pushed for its own ballot measure partly because of news from a recent survey that showed residents were split — 49 percent for and 45 percent against — when asked if they would support a dispensary in town.
In addition, a consultant who conducted the survey told the council that the presidential election will likely bring out more younger voters.
News that a measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California had made it on the ballot also led to the council's decision, Pietig said.
The council decided that its measure should include a provision to make changes to the ordinance, if it is adopted. Those changes could be made without voter approval.
The city has until Aug. 12 to submit a measure to qualify for the ballot.
"The only choice we have to defeat this thing is to have our own," Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman said. "Look at the lines at Urth Caffé. Can you imagine the lines and parking issues we would have?"
Many who spoke during public comments agreed that a competing measure was the best option.
Resident Matt Lawson suggested a measure that would support the continued ban on dispensaries.
"We're dealing with people who are trying to promote the sale of a Schedule 1 narcotic," he said. "We do not need drug tourism here in Laguna Beach."
Billy Fried, who operates La Vida Laguna, an outdoor recreation company, told the council that marijuana is medicine and offers help for many people fighting cancer, pain, seizures and PTSD.
"We run a terrible mistake of not having a competing measure," he said. "We don't know anything about these people (the citizen-backed initiative.)"
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Laguna Beach To Counter Voter Initiative On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Author: Erika I. Ritchie
Contact: The Orange County Register
Photo Credit: Paul Rodriguez
Website: The Orange County Register
The measure, considered a way for the city to keep local control, could include allowing one dispensary under certain circumstances, with the operator being vetted by the city's Planning Commission, City Manager John Pietig said.
City officials said they are hopeful that by providing an alternative, voters may see no need to support the citizen-backed initiative. Voters also can choose to keep the city's ban on dispensaries in place by voting no on both measures.
At last week's meeting, the City Council voted 4-0 to direct Laguna Beach police Chief Laura Farinella to return to the July 26 meeting with a ballot measure to counter the initiative sponsored by Laguna Beach residents Elizabeth Toomey and her nephew, Corey Aufhammer.
The initiative would repeal the city's ban on dispensaries and make access to medical marijuana easier for residents who have a legal right to use it.
The owners, operators and employees of two dispensaries would be vetted through background checks and other security measures, said Debbie Tharp, who with Toomey and Aufhammer collected 2,414 signatures to qualify the initiative for the November ballot.
The dispensaries would be licensed to operate in industrial or commercial areas and would be required to stay 1,000 feet from schools. The only locations that could allow this would be along Laguna Canyon Road or on Coast Highway.
The City Council vote followed a proposal by Farinella to provide voters education about the citizen-backed initiative instead of creating a competing ballot measure. Farinella said she thought a city ballot measure might be confusing for the voters, adding another piece of legislation to an already packed ballot.
"The worst case for me is if the citizen-backed initiative moves forward," Farinella said.
The council passed on the education effort and pushed for its own ballot measure partly because of news from a recent survey that showed residents were split — 49 percent for and 45 percent against — when asked if they would support a dispensary in town.
In addition, a consultant who conducted the survey told the council that the presidential election will likely bring out more younger voters.
News that a measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use in California had made it on the ballot also led to the council's decision, Pietig said.
The council decided that its measure should include a provision to make changes to the ordinance, if it is adopted. Those changes could be made without voter approval.
The city has until Aug. 12 to submit a measure to qualify for the ballot.
"The only choice we have to defeat this thing is to have our own," Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman said. "Look at the lines at Urth Caffé. Can you imagine the lines and parking issues we would have?"
Many who spoke during public comments agreed that a competing measure was the best option.
Resident Matt Lawson suggested a measure that would support the continued ban on dispensaries.
"We're dealing with people who are trying to promote the sale of a Schedule 1 narcotic," he said. "We do not need drug tourism here in Laguna Beach."
Billy Fried, who operates La Vida Laguna, an outdoor recreation company, told the council that marijuana is medicine and offers help for many people fighting cancer, pain, seizures and PTSD.
"We run a terrible mistake of not having a competing measure," he said. "We don't know anything about these people (the citizen-backed initiative.)"
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Laguna Beach To Counter Voter Initiative On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Author: Erika I. Ritchie
Contact: The Orange County Register
Photo Credit: Paul Rodriguez
Website: The Orange County Register
