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California cities wrap up signature drives, get ready for the fall election |
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Written by Mikki Norris
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Saturday, 10 June 2006 |
Committees in the cities of Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, and Santa Barbara wrapped up their petition drives and submitted sufficient numbers of signatures to place initiatives on their city ballots making adult cannabis offenses law enforcement’s lowest priority. This is a coordinated policy effort to show widespread support for cannabis reform across California.
Santa Cruz Citizens for Sensible Marijuana Policy was the first to turn in over 6,000 signatures to the city clerk on April 20. The county clerk took the allotted thirty days to verify the signatures to ensure that they had met the minimum amount required (3,423) and notified the proponents that they had qualified for the November ballot.
“Voters in Santa Cruz are tired of the failed and immoral federal war on drugs,” said Andrea Tischler, chair  PETITIONING FOR EQUAL RIGHTS - Santa Monica election officials review signatures submitted by petitioners to secure ballot standing for a cannabis reform measure.
On the same day that Tischler got the good news, Santa Monicans for Sensible Marijuana Policy turned in over 8,000 signatures to the Santa Monica city clerk’s office. On May 24, campaign coordinator Luciano Hernandez, proponent Corey Garnett, and consultant Mikki Norris, witnessed city clerk Maria Stewart and three assistants count and certify that they received the signatures. Next, the city clerk sent the petitions to the Los Angeles County Clerk’s office where they are currently being verified. Qualifying for the ballot requires 5,580 valid signatures.
 PETITIONING FOR EQUAL RIGHTS - Santa Cruz proponents Theodora Kerry and Andrea Tischler gathered signatures that were included in the successful turn in that put their initiative on the city ballot. - Oaksterdam News Photo by Mikki Norris
Sensible Santa Barbara turned in their signatures May 31. Unlike the other cities, which required 10 percent of registered voters’ signature to qualify, they needed a little extra time to collect 15 percent as it is considered a “special election” since no other city initiative will be on the ballot. They exceeded all expectations as they submitted more than double the 5000 such signatures needed to qualify.
Once the signatures are certified, each city council can either adopt the initiative as law or place it on the ballot. “We think this is a common sense policy, and we hope the city council will adopt it. We had a really overwhelming number of signatures – 11,556. That’s almost as many votes as we would need to pass it,” said Heather Poet, proponent of the Sensible Santa Barbara initiative.
Meanwhile, activists in West Hollywood and San Francisco are pursuing city ordinances similar to the initiatives.
Good endorsements that show broad support for this policy change will be key to the initiatives’ success.
To get involved and help garner support from community organizations, respected individuals and leaders, or for online information on these efforts, please check out these websites: sensiblesantabarbra.org, sensiblesantamonica.org and taxandregulate.org.
* Norris is a board member of Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance and a consultant to the California Cities Campaign. For information online, see taxandregulate.org.
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Mikki Norris |
| About the author: |
| Mikki Norris has been an activist for drug policy reform since 1989 when she formed the American Hemp Council along with her husband Chris Conrad. In subsequent years, they took several cross-country trips to educate the public on the many uses of hemp, and to network and strategize with activists and businesspeople on how to advance the movement. In 1993, she and Chris moved to Amsterdam to design exhibits for and curate the Hash Marijuana Hemp Museum, which they updated in 2000. As community action co-coordinator for Californians for Medical Rights, she helped organize petitioners to qualify the medical marijuana initiative (Prop. 215) for the 1996 ballot. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 August 2006 )
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