Featured
OP-ED: Will California Join Colorado to Legalize Marijuana for Recreational Use?
By D. Demond King, The Redemption Center
Recent legislation in Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana use is being touted as a “springboard” by many supporters of the nation’s burgeoning pro-pot movement.
Many residents of California have historically been favorable to legalization efforts. Voters rejected, 54-46 percent, a 2010 ballot proposition that would have legalized the drug.
California supporters of the movement are hoping to see legislation on the ballot in the Golden State as early as November this year.
Outlets like Green Remedy Collective and 7 Stars Holistic Healing located in Richmond currently dispense medicinal marijuana.
California first legalized the use for medicinal purposes in 1996 with the passage of Proposition 215 making California the first state in the union to do so. With two states (Washington in 2012 and Colorado as of New Year’s Day 2014) having approved recreational use, it stands to reason that California can’t be far behind.
There are currently several potential initiatives to legalize marijuana under consideration for the November ballot. According to a recent Field Poll in the Sacramento Bee, for the first time since 1969, 55 percent of California’s voters support legalization for recreational use.
A recent report from the California Attorney General’s Office says there is a financial benefit to legalization, and taxation could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars in the state’s coffers.
Opponents of the measures say that cannabis is a gateway to more dangerous drugs and should therefore be strictly regulated. Conversely, proponents of legalization have voiced opinions predicated on scientific studies indicating that the stigma attached to cannabis and its classification as a schedule 1 narcotic are unwarranted.
A critical tipping point is at hand.
There is an old saying, “As California goes, so goes the nation.” It would appear there is some truth in that truism.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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