Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
After a yearslong status quo of marijuana dispensaries being illegal but common in San Bernardino, cannabis is clearly on the city's agenda - four times Tuesday.
The City Council will consider four items related to the regulation of marijuana dispensaries at its meeting, which begins at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 300 N. D St.
- A proposed ballot measure submitted by the California Cannabis Coalition has collected enough signatures to make it on the ballot, according to the Registrar of Voters.
That means the City Council has two options: approve the regulatory framework described in the petition, or call a special election. The election would be consolidated with the presidential election Nov. 8, and City Clerk Gigi Hanna estimates it would cost $65,000 to $100,000. The 2016-17 budget that passed June 27 includes that spending.
If approved, the act would allow as many as five marijuana dispensaries in the city.
Operating a dispensary would require a business license, which would cost $250 to apply for. Additional fees would be allowed based on the marijuana license type and total square footage, according to the ballot summary prepared by the city attorney's office.
The act would regulate lighting, signs, security, operating hours, location and odor, among other things.
The Registrar of Voters based its conclusion that enough valid signatures were submitted on a random sample of roughly 8 percent of the 6,000 signatures submitted; signatures were submitted as staff was busy counting votes from the presidential primary, according to Hanna.
Eighty-seven percent of the signatures were valid registered voters in the city, suggesting the California Cannabis Coalition was comfortably above the 3,674 valid signatures required.
- The city's legislative review committee, consisting of three of the seven council members, is separately asking the full council to instruct the city attorney to analyze a proposed initiative that would apply a tax on all marijuana businesses.
The tax rate would be up to 5 percent of gross receipts for medical marijuana and up to 10 percent of gross receipts for nonmedical marijuana.
As a tax, the initiative would also require voter approval.
Recreational marijuana use is illegal in California, but a state initiative to legalize it has qualified for the November ballot.
- A poll to gauge residents' opinions about regulating marijuana is once again on the agenda.
A firm that offered to conduct the poll in October 2015 - Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz and Associates (FM3) - is still available, although the cost might be slightly different from the $30,000 that was quoted at the time, according to a staff report.
About $30,000 in salary savings from the city manager's office could offset the cost of the poll, according to the report.
- Finally, the City Council will vote on whether to direct the city attorney to conduct an impartial analysis of the citizen initiative and direct the city manager to analyze the initiative's potential effect on code enforcement, water use, crime and public safety, and revenue.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: San Bernardino - How The City Will Address Pot On Tuesday
Author: Ryan Hagen
Contact: 1-8000-794-6397
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Press Enterprise
The City Council will consider four items related to the regulation of marijuana dispensaries at its meeting, which begins at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 300 N. D St.
- A proposed ballot measure submitted by the California Cannabis Coalition has collected enough signatures to make it on the ballot, according to the Registrar of Voters.
That means the City Council has two options: approve the regulatory framework described in the petition, or call a special election. The election would be consolidated with the presidential election Nov. 8, and City Clerk Gigi Hanna estimates it would cost $65,000 to $100,000. The 2016-17 budget that passed June 27 includes that spending.
If approved, the act would allow as many as five marijuana dispensaries in the city.
Operating a dispensary would require a business license, which would cost $250 to apply for. Additional fees would be allowed based on the marijuana license type and total square footage, according to the ballot summary prepared by the city attorney's office.
The act would regulate lighting, signs, security, operating hours, location and odor, among other things.
The Registrar of Voters based its conclusion that enough valid signatures were submitted on a random sample of roughly 8 percent of the 6,000 signatures submitted; signatures were submitted as staff was busy counting votes from the presidential primary, according to Hanna.
Eighty-seven percent of the signatures were valid registered voters in the city, suggesting the California Cannabis Coalition was comfortably above the 3,674 valid signatures required.
- The city's legislative review committee, consisting of three of the seven council members, is separately asking the full council to instruct the city attorney to analyze a proposed initiative that would apply a tax on all marijuana businesses.
The tax rate would be up to 5 percent of gross receipts for medical marijuana and up to 10 percent of gross receipts for nonmedical marijuana.
As a tax, the initiative would also require voter approval.
Recreational marijuana use is illegal in California, but a state initiative to legalize it has qualified for the November ballot.
- A poll to gauge residents' opinions about regulating marijuana is once again on the agenda.
A firm that offered to conduct the poll in October 2015 - Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz and Associates (FM3) - is still available, although the cost might be slightly different from the $30,000 that was quoted at the time, according to a staff report.
About $30,000 in salary savings from the city manager's office could offset the cost of the poll, according to the report.
- Finally, the City Council will vote on whether to direct the city attorney to conduct an impartial analysis of the citizen initiative and direct the city manager to analyze the initiative's potential effect on code enforcement, water use, crime and public safety, and revenue.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: San Bernardino - How The City Will Address Pot On Tuesday
Author: Ryan Hagen
Contact: 1-8000-794-6397
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: The Press Enterprise
