Argument against Measure C will not appear on ballot

10/5/11

By Marc Garman

Imagine our surprise when the expected ballot argument against Vallejo's proposed Medical Marijuana Measure (Measure C) was nowhere to be found. The argument in favor of the measure, penned by Councilmembers Gomes, Brown and Schivley appears on the city website all by itself.

Measure C would charge city staff with the task of crafting legislation to tax and regulate Vallejo's now twenty plus cannabis outlets. Mayor Davis, an outspoken opponent of such legislation was expected to submit the argument against this measure to appear on the November Ballot, but there is apparently to be no “con” argument.

So what happened?

The Mayor was late with his argument submission to the City Clerk. The deadline was July 26, 2011, no later than 5:15 PM. The time stamp on Davis' submission is 5:17 PM. Late by two minutes...and late is late. Two months to file and derailed by two pesky little minutes? There is only one thing we can say at this point:

DUUUUUUDE!!!

View the arguments for and against Measure C by clicking the thumbnails below (including time stamp and "late not accepted" notation)...why hell, the opponents of Measure C should be grateful we're publishing this even if VIB is the only place the Mayor's argument will see the light of day!

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Anonymous   |October.07.2011 Sorry, Perry...

Anonymous   |October.07.2011 I'd agree with you, but Rick Perey and Mitt Romney are bigger losers than Obama. It'll be another plug your nose and vote moment for me. I'm getting awfully tired of the only choices being the lesser of evils.

Anonymous   |October.07.2011 The administration in DC had to do something to deflect attention away from the Fast and Furious program as well as Solyndra. These chaps in the executive branch are a complete and utter failure, on every count. This dust up over marijuana is just a way to manufacture a controversy right now and confuse people. We need to get rid of these losers in the WH.

tramky   |October.07.2011 All of this may be moot, given the flurry of news items about the Feds cracking down on California marijuana dispensaries. By their rhetoric the DOJ/DEA or whatever intends to shut' em all down. It's about time. Either Federal law should be changed, or every marijuana dispensary in the United States is illegal and should be shut down. All this wishful thinking about regulation and tax revenues has been laughable. It should be a criminal offense for any state legislator to vote for a bill that is illegal under Federal drug law. The California state legislature has much to answer for. The argument that, well, hell, we can get revenue from this is bogus. They could charge a fee for killing-for-hire schemes, too, so why not do THAT?!

wharf rat   |October.07.2011 come on folks give him a break rumors are that his dog ate his paper work this would explain the late filing ....

Anonymous   |October.07.2011 "I would not punish doctors if it's prescribed in a way that is appropriate. That may require some changes in federal law. I will tell you that -- I mean I want to be honest with you: whether I want to use a whole lot of political capital on that issue when we're trying to get health care passed or end the war in Iraq, the likelihood of that being real high on my list is not likely... What I'm not going to be doing is using Justice Department resources to try to circumvent state laws on this issue, simply because I want folks to be investigating violent crimes and potential terrorism. W'e've got a lot of things for our law enforcement officers to deal with."

Anonymous   |October.07.2011 Yet another reason I feel betrayed by Obama and his constant about face betrayals on campaign promises: "I would not punish doctors if it's prescribed in a way that is appropriate. That may require some changes in federal law. I will tell you that -- I mean I want to be honest with you: whether I want to use a whole lot of political capital on that issue when we

Anonymous   |October.07.2011 That's an asinine conclusion based on your candidate bias (Osby). No candidate will lose because they support a medical marijuana tax and regulation. It's legal in the state of california at this moment. That may change, with the Feds cracking down. But it'll be a fight to the Supreme Court with the State and Feds duking it out over state's rights. It's all in flux. So Vallejo passes the MMD tax and finishes their regulatory process according to state law. If the Feds win and they crack down, the tax and ordinance don't go into effect. If the state's rights win, then the city already has the citizen's authority to tax MMDs and a completed regulatory process. No harm, no foul.

Anonymous   |October.06.2011 you are.

What"s the difference?   |October.06.2011 So what. The California State Court of Appeals just ruled against cities licensing medical marijuana clubs. No clubs, no tax, The issue is dead in the water, just like any candidate that backed it. I don't see anyone talking about that here.

Anonymous   |October.06.2011 Osby, Osby, Osby.... we have very little staff in each department and those that have remained are, as they claim, very over worked. Yet, rather than taking the initiative to amend the municipal code over the last 4 years to have a clear "BANNED" law regarding to marijuana dispensaries, which it appears you want, you sat back , did nothing, and let our city staff fight without proper tools to shut done ..... drum roll please .................... 1 dispensary. And, that has taken over 18 to 24 months. And you, Osby, our lawyer mayor, never realized that our municipal code did not have an attorney fee provision... YES, if the city prevails against a defendant for a zoning (or any code) violation then the looser pays the City's attorney's fees, so the city spent 2 years, and thousands of dollars in attorney's fees, court costs and expenses and has successfully closed down 1 business. And during that time, 20 more came to town. Osby's approach - ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, he cannot even figure out how to effectively advance his ideas (he can't even get a 200 word argument filed in time). Regardless of what your position is on the dispensaries, OSBY'S CONDUCT IN THIS AREA OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS CLEARLY SHOWS HE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HE IS DOING.

Salty Dog   |October.06.2011 Some drugs can be beneficial and if there is any way possible that I can get around the disgusting, fraudulent, monopolistic and reprehensible state of health care in this country through self medication.....I will seek it out. As a medical strategy, marijuana has a number of benefits above and beyond the recreational use( which I think is a waste of time).

IM PEACHy   |October.06.2011 drugs are bad, mmkay

Mousy   |October.06.2011 Post below was mine. Sorry.

Anonymous   |October.06.2011 Oakland, do a little research this time. The government is not allowing them to deduct normal expenses than any other business would be allow to. It's not a case of them not doing what they are supposed to do, but of the government changing the rules an pulling the rug out from under them. If this precident stands it will kill the medical marijuana clubs as a business. That said, Vallejo should go ahead with taxing them should the Oakland club win. No big deal if we have an law on the books that becomes obsolete, but a big deal if they stay in business.

Oakland Pot club   |October.06.2011 Big article in the SFgate yesterday, Oakland's biggest pot club, has made 7-8 million dollars per year for the past 5 years, look like they took too many deductions on thier taxes (not allowed to take payroll and buliding lease deductions with pot dispensery w/the Fed Govt.) They own 2 million in back taxes and state they may have to close their doors. Haha this is so funny, pot clubs the liberal "anti-establishment" folks want to go "corporate" and not pay their fair share of taxes, come on, they are making millions and cant come up with 2 million dollars that they own in taxes??? Thats like a "scarlet R" accross their chest...

Mr :)   |October.06.2011 Very convenient that the argument against MMJ was lost. But fear not, nobody reads the ballots anyway. Watch out what you wish for. Taxing medical marijuana sets the stage for taxing medical aspirin, medical antibiotics, and medical everything. It is also clear that this will just cause some of the dispensaries to close down, leaving fewer jobs and more vacant real estate. The fancy restaurants some imagine moving in will never come if the stores that draw foot traffic to Vallejo are under constant threat. I also do not believe the tax on MMJ will have a long term effect on the number of police ect the law suggests. All money raised by Vallejo has been earmarked for lavish pensions and benefits. Arbitrarily taking away someones employment, in these times, the last shot at a job an individual might have, might be the thing that pushes them over the edge.

Sonic Toad   |October.05.2011 I think this sums it up nicely.. https://ibvallejo.com/audio/Been_Sleep_ringtone.mp3

I love Vallejo   |October.05.2011 Well Osby did have an excuse for voting yes on pay raises for the VPOA (police contract) even though there was a chart that showed we would be 10 million dollars short if the raises were approved. The great and glorious Wizard of Oz said, (and I quote) " I must have been asleep when that chart was shown!" Now we see he can't even write a simple paragraph in two months and get it in on time. Were you asleep again Osby, or just smoking some weed and got too stoned?

Anonymous   |October.05.2011 two votes...two minutes...and they say things happen in threes. What's next?

Salty Dog   |October.05.2011 God help us if this guy gets in again. I mean....God help us.

Slammer   |October.05.2011 I like Dumb and Dumber better.. Sorry, but if these weren't Weed Clubs Osby would be in no such hurry to close these businesses that have no license. Work with it and milk them with tax money. The "smart" cities have done just that and benefited greatly. The clubs that can't afford the taxes will close and Vallejo will no longer be a magnet. Use yer brains scarecrow.

Wait   |October.05.2011 Didn't Hermie make a big deal about helping to write the opposition in conjunction with Oz? Late & Lame should be the title of this chapter!

Slammer   |October.05.2011 Oh, and is that a smiley face on the rejection note

Slammer   |October.05.2011 Now that's leadership for ya!!! Two months to write an argument and he can't even get it in on time. Time to synchronize watches you dork!

Anonymous   |October.05.2011 The Mayor's argument is lame. The argument for the marijuana tax was very well written and easy to understand (and submitted on time!). Bravo to Vallejo's three smartest councilmembers for taking this stand so eloquently.

know vallejo   |October.05.2011 after reading the arguments, it is obvious to me why osby was late. his side is so poorly presented that he was late, hoping that it wouldn't be printed. now he'll have another thing to be mad at marc for, printing his lame logic and revealing his ignorance once again.

know vallejo   |October.05.2011 no one who knows osby is surprised by this. he has had a reputation for being late to everything for decades. it's an indication of his arrogance and disrespect.

Not suprised   |October.05.2011 Just one more highlight of an irresponsibe, unprofessional joke of a Mayor. If he can't file papers on issues he is "sincere" (although still ignorant)about, imagine how OUR wants and needs will continue to be ignored. He loves to live in the past so please, let's leave him there. His ignorance, bigotry, laziness and don't give a damn attituide are exactly what is wrong with Vallejo. Getting rid of him is not a step in the right direction, it is a LEAP in the right direction. A vote for Osby is a vote for PROVEN INCOMPETENCE!

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