City Government

Proposal Would “Undermine” Oakland Cannabis Industry Reform

Published

8 years ago

July 8, 2016

The Oakland City Council is considering a proposal from an organization that calls itself the Oakland Diversity and Equity Cannabis Coalition that would reduce the benefits of a recently passed ordinance that gives preference to Oakland drug-war victims for city cannabis selling permits.

Under the city’s cannabis Equity Permit Program, which was sponsored by Councilmember Desley Brooks, half of the city’s cannabis industry permits will go to people who have spent jail time for possessing marijuana in the past 10 years, or who have lived in six particular Oakland Police Department beats in the last two years.

In a letter to the city council’s Rules and Legislation Committee Thursday, Brooks said the cannabis coalition’s proposed amendments would “water down the equity programs by reducing the ownership requirement from 50 percent to 25 percent.”

In addition, the proposals would change the eligibility requirement that says someone has to have committed a drug offense in Oakland, expanding the requirement to anywhere in California; and “arbitrarily adding so many beats as to effectively render them meaningless,” said Brooks.

“For whom are the proposed ‘improvements’ seeking equity?” asked Brooks. “Rather, the proposed amendments are nothing more than a veiled attempt to minimize and/or lock out ownership opportunities for people of color,” she said.

“The council has one opportunity to get this right; and not continue the systemic racism in this burgeoning industry that has allowed some to be advantaged while others are left out,” said Brooks.

The organization that is making the proposed amendments has a 90 percent white membership, according to Brooks.

Speaking at Thursday’s Rules Committee meeting, President of 100 Black Men Frank Tucker said, “I don’t know who they are, and I am a long term resident of Oakland.”

He continued, “This group has an amendment to the medical cannabis equity proposal that hasn’t yet been vetted by the council, and they’re already trying to water it down. Watering down the equity component originally tied to the amendment could very well be a continuation of the systemic racism that we have experienced here in Oakland.”

Attorney James Anthony, representing the Oakland Diversity and Equity Cannabis Coalition, was previously a zoning prosecutor for the City of Oakland. He told the council, “We all have dirt on our hands. You were the ones that sent me out to take (homes) of people of color for minor marijuana violations. I agree, let’s get it right the first time. Equity is simple, give everyone a permit who wants one.”

Said Gay Plair Cobb, CEO of the Private Industry Council, “This is an opportunity for the formerly incarcerated to be entrepreneurial. Thanks to Desley Brooks’ initiative, Oakland’s impacted neighborhoods can receive a measure of restorative economic justice.”

The council is scheduled to discuss the Cannabis Equity Program in September.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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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.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

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.

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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.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

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.