California, Albany

[Midnight toker]

<span class=postbold>See Also</span>: City of Albany - Medical Marijuana Dispensary Issues

Vote in fall on pot club for Albany
Chip Johnson

Friday, August 25, 2006
The San Francisco Chronicle


Federal authorities dead set against the spread of medical marijuana dispensaries in California may soon have another leak in the dike.

In November, Albany residents will vote on an advisory measure over whether to allow a pot club in the small East Bay city of 14,000 residents on Berkeley's northern edge.

Unlike some of its neighbors in the university town, Albany residents are known as a well-behaved collection of families, with few problems other than occasional high school shenanigans and over-imbibing customers at bars along San Pablo Avenue.

The city prides itself on well-maintained streets, good schools and city services and holds an annual festival along Solano Avenue, its main thoroughfare, which brings out the whole town. It's one of those Bay Area cities whose politics wouldn't disqualify it for inclusion on the list of All-American cities.

Albany is also a liberal California city. And if the 1996 statewide vote on Proposition 215, which allows the use of marijuana for medical problems, provides any insight into the upcoming vote, it's going to be a landslide.

A decade ago, Albany voters approved Prop. 215 by nearly 4 to 1. After a two-year moratorium on marijuana dispensaries while city leaders studied the issue, the Albany City Council voted unanimously to let voters decide whether to let a pot club open its doors in town.

Judy Lieberman, the assistant city administrator, said city officials had been approached at least once during that period by pot club operators who wanted to open a facility.

If there is strong objection to the measure, it's not evident in the business community.

Dana Milner, a contractor who serves as Chamber of Commerce president, said he had no objection -- and strongly endorsed the city's plan and the state law.

"As a resident, I think it's a great idea. It's a healing substance, and there is not much negative health risk associated with it," said Milner, 56, who uses marijuana for medicinal purposes.

"It should have been legalized years ago, but this is a case where the feds aren't doing their job so the people (of California) have to take it into their own hands to make it legal and available," he said.

Milner doesn't think much of federal objections to the state law, and he doesn't think much of federal prosecutions of alleged pot growers and alleged suppliers of pot clubs in San Francisco and Oakland, among other cities.

"I'm a responsible member of this community, and I think it's the right thing to do," he said.

Richard Lee, owner of the Bulldog Coffee Shop, one of four marijuana dispensaries approved in Oakland, says despite the federal raids on 20 dispensaries in San Diego County last month, more cities are reviewing their policies toward the dispensaries.

Those raids were carried out after a San Diego County supervisor filed suit to block pot club operations. Pleasanton, another Bay Area city that had placed a moratorium on pot clubs, has begun looking at establishing regulations to allow a club to operate within the city limits, Lee said.

Eight counties and 25 cities in the state have passed some form of regulations or policies allowing the dispensaries to operate, Lee said. Across the state, more than 300 clubs have been established, he said.

Despite what by all accounts appears to be overwhelming support for the measure by California voters, federal authorities continue to pursue prosecutions against people in the industry.

In the San Diego raids, 15 club owners were arrested and charged with possession for distribution and others on simple possession charges, and federal prosecutors said the raids were a "warning" to other operators -- their day was coming.

I don't doubt that the feds plan on continuing their pursuit of pot clubs and high-profile participants like Ed Rosenthal, a well-known author and grower from Oakland who is still the target of federal prosecution.

Rosenthal said Thursday that he is currently the subject of a grand jury convened to hear federal prosecutors' latest claims -- that he is a drug kingpin eligible for prosecution under federal racketeering charges.

Even when the feds nabbed Rosenthal, a federal judge essentially nullified the conviction. Rosenthal was convicted of cultivation charges in U.S. District Court in June 2003, but the judge, who said Rosenthal believed he was acting legally, sentenced him to a single day in jail, an overwhelming victory for medical marijuana supporters.

When everyday, middle-class citizens like Milner and his neighbors, and communities in even so-called red states like Montana, approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes -- it seems like it's the federal government that is out of touch with the people.

<hr class=postrule>
<center><small>Chip Johnson's column appears on Tuesdays and Fridays. E-mail him at chjohnson@sfchronicle.com</small></center>

[palmspringsbum]

Posted on Mon, Aug. 28, 2006

Cities to face wealth of initiatives in November

ALAMEDA COUNTY: Albany will vote on fire station bond and marijuana dispensary; Berkeley to weigh taxes

By Steve Heisler
The Contra Costa Times

A ballot measure calling for an expanded fire station and emergency operations center in Albany is among other Alameda County proposals for November's election.

Seventeen measures have qualified for the Nov. 7 general election, including a $5 million general obligation bond to renovate and expand Albany's fire station and build an emergency operations center between the fire and police stations.

The current 40-year-old station is flawed in design and the emergency operations center is a makeshift, as-needed facility in the basement of the community center, assistant city administrator Judy Lieberman said. Calls to the fire station have increased to 1,500 today from 500 in 1966, she said.

"There are lot of activities that go on in a firehouse now that didn't go on in 1966," Lieberman said. "They meet a lot higher standards for medical needs, for instance."

The department is counted on as an advanced life-support transport agency, she said, and its emergency operations deployment in the community center is inaccessible.

A 2004 evacuation of an Albany block that required a SWAT team was particularly problematic, she said, because children's classes and library activities at the center interfered with emergency preparations.

"It was not something we were comfortable with," she said. "This would allow first responders to have access to a facility."

Construction of the new buildings would begin in January, Lieberman said, with completion expected by summer 2007.

Another Albany-based measure regards the establishment of a single medical marijuana dispensary that would be regulated by the city. Other local measures include a proposed educational programs-enhancement tax in Berkeley that would go toward class size reduction, school libraries and teacher training. The measure combines a $9 million tax from the Berkeley Schools Excellence Program with the 2004 Measure B assessment, said Julie Sinai, a senior aide to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

"They're both sun-setting," she said. "It's a straight renewal. There's no increase."

Other Berkeley measures include the potential adoption of a landmarks preservation ordinance. The issue has been hotly debated and the ordinance would make it easier to designate historic structures and increase the authority of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

One other attention-drawing measure out of Berkeley asks for the initiation of impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and calls upon the state Legislature to take further action. The measure created a buzz when first announced in early summer and earned a mention in Time magazine.

It led to a similar motion in Santa Cruz and mirrored legislation in San Francisco and Champaign, Ill., said Steve Freedkin. Freedkin introduced the measure as chairperson of the Peace and Justice Commission.

"This is to get people talking about the Constitution and the limits of the role of the president," Freedkin said. "What this will do is start a conversation about what are our standards as a democracy and when do we enforce them and say enough is enough."

[budman]

Posted on Sun, Oct. 08, 2006

Albany: Measure D

By Justin Hill
CONTRA COSTA TIMES


The Albany City Council wants to know whether voters support the establishment of a single medical marijuana dispensary, subject to regulatory controls.

Voting yes on Measure D, an advisory measure, indicates support for enacting a medical marijuana dispensaries ordinance that would permit the establishment of a single dispensary.

A no vote indicates support of prohibiting a dispensary.

In 2005, Albany received an inquiry about establishing a medical marijuana dispensary, but the city had no specific regulations to control or regulate dispensaries, according to an impartial analysis of the measure by the city attorney.

In May 2005, the City Council approved a moratorium that restricted the establishment of a dispensary until the matter was studied. The council decided to place the advisory measure on the ballot before choosing whether to enact an ordinance permitting or prohibiting a dispensary.

If a dispensary is permitted, the city would likely "incur costs for monitoring and enforcing regulations, as well as potential demands on law enforcement personnel," states the city attorney's analysis.

No arguments against the measure have been filed with the city.

An argument in favor, signed by Mayor Allan Maris, Councilman Robert Lieber and others, says the city has "written a strong ordinance for a single safe marijuana dispensary."

The ordinance would not allow on-site use, and forbids the dispensary from being located near schools or parks. Albany police had a major role in drafting the ordinance.

"A vote for approving this single dispensary will continue to demonstrate Albany's compassion for the sick and suffering in our community," states the argument. "A yes vote will affirm our belief that a person's private health matters should be decided by the individual and his or her physician."

<span class=postbold>WHAT IT WOULD DO:</span> A yes vote indicates support for enacting a medical marijuana dispensaries ordinance that would permit the establishment of a single dispensary. A no vote indicates support of prohibiting a dispensary.

<span class=postbold>VOTES TO PASS:</span> Majority

<span class=postbold>SUPPORTERS:</span> Mayor Allan Maris; Councilman Robert Lieber; Planning and Zoning Commissioner Leo Panian; Rebecca Saltzman, coordinator of East Bay Americans for Safe Access; resident and medical marijuana patient Bradley Glore.

<span class=postbold>OPPONENTS:</span> No arguments against have been filed with the city.

[palmspringsbum]

Posted on Tue, Nov. 07, 2006

Atkinson, O'Keefe lead in Albany race

The Contra Costa Times


Two Albany City Council candidates on different sides of the city's waterfront debate were leading in early returns.

With most results still to be counted, Marge Atkinson, a member of the "Save Our Shoreline Team," led all four candidates. She was followed, in order, by retired U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics economist Caryl O'Keefe, Joanne Wile, the other half of the "Save Our Shoreline Team", and real estate agent Francesco Papalia.

The future of Albany's waterfront played a large role in the race, with Papalia and O'Keefe willing to consider development proposals for the land at Golden Gate Fields and the "Save Our Shoreline Team" opposed to development near the shoreline.

Measure C, which included issuance of bonds and an increase in property taxes for construction at the Albany civic center, was leading.

Measure D, an advisory measure on an ordinance that would permit the establishment of a single medical marijuana dispensary in the city, was losing.

-- Justin Hill

[palmspringsbum]

Measure C could pass if lead holds

By Cecily Burt STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area
Article Last Updated:11/08/2006 12:19:35 AM PST

ALBANY — A $5 million bond measure to renovate and expand Albany's fire station and build an emergency operations center was leading in early election returns late Tuesday.

With 15 percent of precincts reporting, Measure C, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass, was leading with 73 percent of the vote.

If the lead holds, Albany property owners will pay an average of $18.47 and a maximum of $23.66 per $100,000 of assessed value during the 25-year life of the bonds.

The bonds will pay to construct a new emergency operations center between the police and fire stations. The funding would be used to coordinate disaster response to critical incidents, and pay for energy saving features such as double-pane windows and solar panels in the police and fire stations and City Hall.

In other election-related news, Measure D, an advisory measure to gauge whether voters would support an ordinance allowing a single medical marijuana dispensary, was trailing 51 percent to 49 percent with 15 percent of precincts reporting.

After receiving an inquiry about opening a pot club in Albany, the City Council passed a moratorium on pot clubs until it had time to study the issue. The ordinance, which the police department helped craft, would allow only one dispensary.

[palmspringsbum]

Albany voters approve $5 million bond for emergency services

By Cecily Burt, Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:11/08/2006 08:09:20 AM PST
The Alameda Times-Star


Voters have approved a $5 million bond measure to renovate and expand Albany's fire station and build an emergency operations center.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Measure C, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass, was leading with nearly 76 percent of the vote.

If the lead holds, Albany property owners will pay an average of $18.47 and a maximum of $23.66 per $100,000 of assessed value during the 25-year life of the bonds.

The bonds will pay to construct a new emergency operations center between the police and fire stations. The funding would be used to coordinate disaster response to critical incidents, and pay for energy saving features such as double-pane windows and solar panels in the police and fire stations and City Hall.

In another race, Measure D, an advisory measure to gauge whether voters would support an ordinance allowing a single medical marijuana dispensary, had received 53 percent `yes' votes to 47 percent `no' votes.

After receiving an inquiry about opening a pot club in Albany, the City Council passed a moratorium on pot clubs until it had time to study the issue. The ordinance, which the police department helped craft, would allow only one dispensary.