Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
The Calaveras County Elections Department confirmed Monday that there are enough valid signatures on petitions for a ballot initiative to regulate medical marijuana to place the measure before county voters in November. On July 12, however, the Board of Supervisors will have the option to instead immediately enact the measure into law. That would require a four-fifths vote of the board.
If the board does not enact the measure, voters will decide on it. The signature verification certificate was signed Friday by Elections Coordinator Robin Glanville.
It reported that proponents turned in a total of 3,307 signatures. Elections staff checked a sample of 500 signatures and determined that 364 were valid, or 72.8 percent. Assuming that the entire batch has a similar validity rate, there should be roughly 2,400 valid signatures, far more than the 1,571 needed.
"I'm pleased to see it," said Bardon Stevenot, a leader of the group that began collecting signatures for the measure in mid-May. "And we'd like to see them enact it right away."
He said the November ballot will be crowded with state initiatives as well as a proposed tax on cannabis cultivators in Calaveras County that county supervisors decided recently to place on the ballot.
"These things have no bearing on our growing situation and leave room for confusion," he said. "It is the most proper and most statesmanlike thing for the county to do," he said of the idea that the board would enact the measure directly.
"In a perfect world, how could they say no?" he asked, adding that the board has shown political leadership and courage. "And the voters elected the supervisors, so their action should be sufficient."
Stevenot said the ballot measure is a marriage between an ordinance that was considered by the board in February and the urgency ordinance that was passed on May 10, and "a few other things we added."
The ballot measure includes a road fee of $500 per marijuana farm, caps new outdoor cultivation applications until 2018 and tightens the use permit process for indoor growers.
Proponents of a competing measure to ban commercial cultivation also gathered signatures, but that measure was rejected by the Elections Department when the signature page formatting was judged to be in violation of state law. At a recent Board of Supervisor's meeting, ban proponent Bill McManus said his group was prepared to rebuild opposition to regulation of cannabis and mount a signature drive to hold a special election in March on whether to instead ban cannabis cultivation.
"We are absolutely opposed to anything but a complete ban on commercial growing," he said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Petition To Regulate Medical Cannabis Passes Elections Department Hurdle
Author: Terry Grillo
Contact: 209.754.3861
Photo Credit: Terry Grillo
Website: Calveras Enterpris
If the board does not enact the measure, voters will decide on it. The signature verification certificate was signed Friday by Elections Coordinator Robin Glanville.
It reported that proponents turned in a total of 3,307 signatures. Elections staff checked a sample of 500 signatures and determined that 364 were valid, or 72.8 percent. Assuming that the entire batch has a similar validity rate, there should be roughly 2,400 valid signatures, far more than the 1,571 needed.
"I'm pleased to see it," said Bardon Stevenot, a leader of the group that began collecting signatures for the measure in mid-May. "And we'd like to see them enact it right away."
He said the November ballot will be crowded with state initiatives as well as a proposed tax on cannabis cultivators in Calaveras County that county supervisors decided recently to place on the ballot.
"These things have no bearing on our growing situation and leave room for confusion," he said. "It is the most proper and most statesmanlike thing for the county to do," he said of the idea that the board would enact the measure directly.
"In a perfect world, how could they say no?" he asked, adding that the board has shown political leadership and courage. "And the voters elected the supervisors, so their action should be sufficient."
Stevenot said the ballot measure is a marriage between an ordinance that was considered by the board in February and the urgency ordinance that was passed on May 10, and "a few other things we added."
The ballot measure includes a road fee of $500 per marijuana farm, caps new outdoor cultivation applications until 2018 and tightens the use permit process for indoor growers.
Proponents of a competing measure to ban commercial cultivation also gathered signatures, but that measure was rejected by the Elections Department when the signature page formatting was judged to be in violation of state law. At a recent Board of Supervisor's meeting, ban proponent Bill McManus said his group was prepared to rebuild opposition to regulation of cannabis and mount a signature drive to hold a special election in March on whether to instead ban cannabis cultivation.
"We are absolutely opposed to anything but a complete ban on commercial growing," he said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Petition To Regulate Medical Cannabis Passes Elections Department Hurdle
Author: Terry Grillo
Contact: 209.754.3861
Photo Credit: Terry Grillo
Website: Calveras Enterpris
