Oaksterdam News Network - Oakland Council Election

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Oakland Council Election

Written by Justin Baker

All Dist 2 candidates support tax and regulate option for cannabis

All nine candidates for Oakland's Dist. 2 City Council seat came out in favor of taxing and regulating sales of marijuana to adults during a Mar. 4 debate cablecast from City Hall. With the abrupt resignation of Danny Wan comes a mail-in election ending May 17 for the District 2 seat.
   On the question of implementing Measure Z, Oakland’s voter mandate to advance this process, candidates Pamela Drake, Justin Horner, Todd Plate, Aimee Allison, Shirley Gee, Peggy Moore and Paul Garrison all voiced their support for the plan and also for seeing it implemented at the local level as well as being carried to a statewide level.
Two candidates appeared more interested in making excuses than in making progress. Patricia Kernighan and David Kakishiba both claimed to support the “tax and regulate sales” concept but said any local change must wait for the state to act first.
   Moore cited Oaksterdam to show how local business people who work hard and turn around a blighted neighborhood are punished by the Council but asserted that, if elected, she would see to it that O’dam and others get the support they deserve.
   Drake said it’s time to implement Measure Z to generate tax revenue so
the City should pursue having it authorized at the state level. If elected, she would make sure the lobbying is done. To a direct question about implementing Z, Drake said it’s just common sense to tax and regulate cannabis since “it’s already a big industy,” and it was wrong for the Council to have closed down many of the hard working retailers who had created jobs and opportunities in O’dam. “These folks were among the best to keep that neighborhood safe and clean,” she said.
   Allison agreed that Oakland needs its cannabis-friendly district, adding “it should not stop there.” Statewide reforms should be made to allow all communities who wish to develop this tax opportunity, and Oakland should seize its moment now to revitalize neighborhoods and become a unique “tourist destination spot.”
   Horner said that he voted for Z, “as most people did,” since marijuana arrests are just a waste of police time. He voiced his “committment not only to retailers” but also to seeing to it that cannabis consumers are treated with respect by Oakland police.
   Garrison echoed Moore’s comments that the way that the City had shut down so many medical marijuana dispensaries showed a failure of leadership by Wan. While he acknowledged that the zoning issues had been complicated by the location of a youth center in the area, “the City should have been more poractive to find creative solutions. This is a challenging new ground for us.”
   “The voters got it right,” said Ghee, and added her support for Z. She said she would not do it in a way that would have large commrecial operations run things and would rather see the creation of smaller, neighborhood-style dispensaries.
   Outgoing councilmember Danny Wan signed the official “no” argument and actively campaigned against measure Z, and his chief of staff, candidate Kernighan voiced a similar sentiment. “I totally support it on a statewide basis,” she said, and she would advocate it at the state level, “but we can’t do it here alone.”
   Similarly, candidate Kakishiba said he, too, wants reform but had signed the “no” argument against Z because he sees the situation as futile. “It won’t turn the drug war around,” he said. Marijuana reform has to happen “at the sate level, not locally.” He also said the ordinance does not address the question of how users are treated or of adolescent use.
   “We’re talking about adult use, not kids,” Drake reminded him during the debate. “It’s time for Oakland City Council to go to the state and say, ‘tax and regulate.’ ”

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