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Even as dozens of would-be pot planters showed up at Oakland City Hall last week to apply for permits to operate city-sanctioned marijuana farms, there were signs that the trailblazing effort to redefine the reefer industry might be going up in smoke.
The four available permits, going for $211,000 apiece, may not be worth the paper they're written on.
For starters, City Attorney John Russo has declined to put his signature on the city ordinance that created the permits. The absence of Russo's approval will not stop the permits from being issued, but it does bring into question their legal standing.
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"The issue of production of cannabis is a legal thicket, and everyone knows it," Russo said.
He declined to comment further, but word is federal authorities recently called his office and made it clear that they don't intend to look the other way to Oakland's flaunting of federal prohibitions on growing and selling marijuana in bulk.
Former U.S. attorney for Northern California Joe Russoniello said the Obama administration and Attorney General Eric Holder have made it clear both publicly and in memos that they plan to bust large pot-growing operations like those being proposed in Oakland.
Would the city legally defend the permits after a federal bust?
"We haven't discussed it, but I doubt we would," City Council President Jane Brunner said.
Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, whose office has been contacted by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration looking for information on the city's legislation, said it's "no big deal" that Russo plans to step aside if DEA agents roll into town.
"If it happens, we have a normal procedure to use outside counsel," Kaplan said.
On hand: Former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne is the latest name (and, we might add, the only woman) being mentioned for interim mayor.
"I can't think of a better steward for the next year," says downtown attorney and Renne protege Matt Davis, who has discussed the mayoral job with her. "And while she might not be everybody's first and second choice, she would be on everyone's list of people who would do a terrific job."
End game: San Francisco Democrat Kamala Harris can chalk up her squeaker victory over Los Angeles Republican Steve Cooley in the attorney general's race to a list of game changers. Among them:
- Cooley's debate blunder. In a TV debate, Cooley said that if elected AG, he planned to still to collect his full L.A. district attorney's pension. Not the smartest thing to say when pension reform is one of the hottest issues on the state. It made for one heck of a pro-Harris ad.
- The Harris-Obama connection. As an early backer of then-candidate Barack Obama, Harris had spent three years cultivating connections throughout the state while working on the Obama campaign. She parlayed those relationships in the final days of the election with a get-out-the-vote operation in L.A.'s largely African American communities.
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- The law enforcement fizzle. Cop organizations around the state vowed to spend millions of dollars to attack Harris over her refusal to bring a death penalty case against the killer of San Francisco cop Isaac Espinoza. But whether for lack of money or lack of interest, the cops' campaign never materialized, allowing Harris to dodge what could have been a fatal bullet.
- Whitman's phantom get-out-the-vote drive. Early reports were that gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman planned a mega, $50 million effort to turn out Republican voters. It never happened. On the other hand, the threat spurred Democrats to step up their own ground game, ensuring a sweep for the statewide Democratic ticket
And finally: After we reported that Mayor-elect Jean Quan's car was booted due to $1,000 worth of parking tickets, she issued a wonderful example of political speak:
"Over the course of the last year my family and I have been extraordinarily busy on my campaign.
"During that time we accumulated several parking tickets. My husband, who has been handling the family's bills for the past year, thought we were reasonably current.
"When I learned of the outstanding tickets on Tuesday, I, like most Oakland residents, paid them all immediately."
Translation: It was hubby's fault.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross
Contact:Contact Us — SFGate, news and information for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Copyright:2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Website:Oakland marijuana permits facing obstacles - SFGate
The four available permits, going for $211,000 apiece, may not be worth the paper they're written on.
For starters, City Attorney John Russo has declined to put his signature on the city ordinance that created the permits. The absence of Russo's approval will not stop the permits from being issued, but it does bring into question their legal standing.
advertisement | your ad here
"The issue of production of cannabis is a legal thicket, and everyone knows it," Russo said.
He declined to comment further, but word is federal authorities recently called his office and made it clear that they don't intend to look the other way to Oakland's flaunting of federal prohibitions on growing and selling marijuana in bulk.
Former U.S. attorney for Northern California Joe Russoniello said the Obama administration and Attorney General Eric Holder have made it clear both publicly and in memos that they plan to bust large pot-growing operations like those being proposed in Oakland.
Would the city legally defend the permits after a federal bust?
"We haven't discussed it, but I doubt we would," City Council President Jane Brunner said.
Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, whose office has been contacted by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration looking for information on the city's legislation, said it's "no big deal" that Russo plans to step aside if DEA agents roll into town.
"If it happens, we have a normal procedure to use outside counsel," Kaplan said.
On hand: Former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne is the latest name (and, we might add, the only woman) being mentioned for interim mayor.
"I can't think of a better steward for the next year," says downtown attorney and Renne protege Matt Davis, who has discussed the mayoral job with her. "And while she might not be everybody's first and second choice, she would be on everyone's list of people who would do a terrific job."
End game: San Francisco Democrat Kamala Harris can chalk up her squeaker victory over Los Angeles Republican Steve Cooley in the attorney general's race to a list of game changers. Among them:
- Cooley's debate blunder. In a TV debate, Cooley said that if elected AG, he planned to still to collect his full L.A. district attorney's pension. Not the smartest thing to say when pension reform is one of the hottest issues on the state. It made for one heck of a pro-Harris ad.
- The Harris-Obama connection. As an early backer of then-candidate Barack Obama, Harris had spent three years cultivating connections throughout the state while working on the Obama campaign. She parlayed those relationships in the final days of the election with a get-out-the-vote operation in L.A.'s largely African American communities.
advertisement | your ad here
- The law enforcement fizzle. Cop organizations around the state vowed to spend millions of dollars to attack Harris over her refusal to bring a death penalty case against the killer of San Francisco cop Isaac Espinoza. But whether for lack of money or lack of interest, the cops' campaign never materialized, allowing Harris to dodge what could have been a fatal bullet.
- Whitman's phantom get-out-the-vote drive. Early reports were that gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman planned a mega, $50 million effort to turn out Republican voters. It never happened. On the other hand, the threat spurred Democrats to step up their own ground game, ensuring a sweep for the statewide Democratic ticket
And finally: After we reported that Mayor-elect Jean Quan's car was booted due to $1,000 worth of parking tickets, she issued a wonderful example of political speak:
"Over the course of the last year my family and I have been extraordinarily busy on my campaign.
"During that time we accumulated several parking tickets. My husband, who has been handling the family's bills for the past year, thought we were reasonably current.
"When I learned of the outstanding tickets on Tuesday, I, like most Oakland residents, paid them all immediately."
Translation: It was hubby's fault.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: sfgate.com
Author: Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross
Contact:Contact Us — SFGate, news and information for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Copyright:2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Website:Oakland marijuana permits facing obstacles - SFGate
