San Francisco Passes Lowest Law Enforcement Priority Ordinance

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the City and County of San Francisco has just joined the growing list of cities that are making marijuana offenses law enforcement's lowest priority today, in order to enable police to concentrate on violent and serious crime. This was achieved by a coalition of activists and organizations in conjunction with supportive and sympathetic supervisors. This brings the total to six cities up and down California that have either passed ordinances or ballot initiatives to stop the arrest of adults for marijuana offenses (Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, and West Hollywood).

This ordinance effort was spearheaded by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who offered to sponsor an ordinance to save us the expense of an initiative. It was then handed over to Supervisor Tom Ammiano to take the lead, and co-sponsored by Supervisors Jake McGoldrick and Chris Daly, along with Mirkarimi. By an 8-3 vote, the full board of supervisors passed the measure, based on the Santa Cruz' Measure K but tailored to fit San Francisco's political environment. A second confirmatory vote should make it final next week.

This ordinance was supported by all the supervisors, except Ma, Elsbrend, and Alioto-Pier. There was some opposition by the Fair Oaks Community Coalition, a neighborhood group that became known during the medical cannabis dispensary ordinance effort (in opposition). At yesterday's committee hearing, while they opposed this ordinance, several members of this group came out in support of taxing and regulating cannabis at the state and federal level. The head of the narcotics division was satisfied with their input into the initiative language, and said that the ordinance would not tie their hands.

So, we did it, again! Thanks are in order to the supervisors who came on board, especially Sup. Tom Ammiano and his aide, Zach Tuller.

Congratulations to the team that made this possible! California is leading the charge to opt out of Bush's war on marijuana!

Hooray for San Francisco Values!

-- Mikki Norris
email: <info@taxandregulate.org>

Taxing and regulating cannabis sales:
Improving Law Enforcement, Reducing Crime

How can you help get cannabis tolerated, taxed and regulated?

To get involved or donate, please contact the Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance. FPPC ID# 1259121