Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
The petitioners behind an initiative to bring medical pot dispensaries to Costa Mesa are growing impatient with the city, saying Costa Mesa is not moving quickly enough to create its own ordinance to regulate pot shops.
When the City Council directed staff Dec. 16 to pen a cannabis dispensary law, council members also laid out a prospective timeline that called for the ordinance to be discussed at a mid-January study session and considered at the Jan. 20 council meeting. But that meeting has come and gone, leaving the marijuana advocates wondering about the delay and considering legal action.
The advocates behind two successful October petitions believe that under the terms of their initiatives they were guaranteed a special election by March, to ask Costa Mesa residents whether the city should begin allowing regulated cannabis shops. Instead, the City Council moved both marijuana measures to the November 2016 ballot, saying that because the initiatives seek to add a tax, the California Constitution requires they be addressed during a general election.
The advocates have said they disagree with the city's legal interpretation, but would forgo legal action if Costa Mesa quickly created its own marijuana law.
Now, the folks behind the Act to Restrict and Regulate the Operation of Medical Marijuana Businesses, the ARRO initiative, say the city is acting too slowly.
"We feel as though we are getting delayed and getting misinformation," said Travis Azevedo, a Newport Beach resident and representative of the ARRO committee, addressing the City Council on Tuesday. "We're trying our hardest to get behind you all, but we need to know what's going on. So we respectfully ask if you could reach out to us and let us know your plan on this, because, again, we have legal remedies that we do not want to enforce."
Azevedo, a real estate broker and entrepreneur, donated $60,000 to the ARRO ballot-measure committee, according to campaign finance documents. He said he would like to operate a regulated, medical marijuana dispensary in Costa Mesa if the city allows them.
Costa Mesa CEO Tom Hatch responded to Azevedo at Tuesday's meeting, saying that he had no updates about the marijuana ordinance, but would post information to the city's website Wednesday. As of Friday evening, no update had been posted, and Hatch had not returned calls for comment.
"Hopefully this is just a glitch and a miscommunication," said Randall T. Longwith, the Fullerton attorney and medical marijuana advocate who authored the ARRO initiative. "We just want to make sure things are happening at an appropriate pace."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana petitioners growing impatient with Costa Mesa - The Orange County Register
Author: Jordan Graham
Contact: jgraham@ocregister.com
Photo Credit: OC Register
Website: Orange County Register: California News, Sports and Entertainment - The Orange County Register
When the City Council directed staff Dec. 16 to pen a cannabis dispensary law, council members also laid out a prospective timeline that called for the ordinance to be discussed at a mid-January study session and considered at the Jan. 20 council meeting. But that meeting has come and gone, leaving the marijuana advocates wondering about the delay and considering legal action.
The advocates behind two successful October petitions believe that under the terms of their initiatives they were guaranteed a special election by March, to ask Costa Mesa residents whether the city should begin allowing regulated cannabis shops. Instead, the City Council moved both marijuana measures to the November 2016 ballot, saying that because the initiatives seek to add a tax, the California Constitution requires they be addressed during a general election.
The advocates have said they disagree with the city's legal interpretation, but would forgo legal action if Costa Mesa quickly created its own marijuana law.
Now, the folks behind the Act to Restrict and Regulate the Operation of Medical Marijuana Businesses, the ARRO initiative, say the city is acting too slowly.
"We feel as though we are getting delayed and getting misinformation," said Travis Azevedo, a Newport Beach resident and representative of the ARRO committee, addressing the City Council on Tuesday. "We're trying our hardest to get behind you all, but we need to know what's going on. So we respectfully ask if you could reach out to us and let us know your plan on this, because, again, we have legal remedies that we do not want to enforce."
Azevedo, a real estate broker and entrepreneur, donated $60,000 to the ARRO ballot-measure committee, according to campaign finance documents. He said he would like to operate a regulated, medical marijuana dispensary in Costa Mesa if the city allows them.
Costa Mesa CEO Tom Hatch responded to Azevedo at Tuesday's meeting, saying that he had no updates about the marijuana ordinance, but would post information to the city's website Wednesday. As of Friday evening, no update had been posted, and Hatch had not returned calls for comment.
"Hopefully this is just a glitch and a miscommunication," said Randall T. Longwith, the Fullerton attorney and medical marijuana advocate who authored the ARRO initiative. "We just want to make sure things are happening at an appropriate pace."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana petitioners growing impatient with Costa Mesa - The Orange County Register
Author: Jordan Graham
Contact: jgraham@ocregister.com
Photo Credit: OC Register
Website: Orange County Register: California News, Sports and Entertainment - The Orange County Register
