Sonoma City Council refuses to allow a November 2018 vote on permitting dispensary

This by way of the Sonoma Index-Tribune:

CHRISTIAN KALLEN

INDEX-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER | July 26, 2018, 2:06PM

“When faced with two clear paths – to approve a validated petition to legalize cannabis businesses in Sonoma, or put the measure up for a vote in November – the City Council chose the third.

At the council meeting on Monday, July 23, the cannabis petition was the major agenda item that drew a sizeable audience to the Council Chambers. Following a series of options outlined by city attorney Jeff Walter, and bypassing the choice of either approving the petition as city ordnance or putting it on the ballot for voters to decide, the council instead opted to order a 30-day, $25,000 study on the proposed ordinance, a study that would be delivered well beyond the Aug. 10 deadline for placing the measure on the November 2018 general election ballot.

The next firm opportunity for a public vote, according to Walter, would be in 2020, as there are no statewide elections scheduled in 2019…” more

Reportedly, Jon Early was “gobsmacked” over the decision. That Mr. Early, the petitioner of the ill-conceived ballot measure, believes he was blind-sided shows he has little clue of the makeup of the city council and what makes it tick. More on that in the next post…

Gary Edwards, David Cook and Mayor Madolyn Agrimonti have always voted against any notion of a dispensary within the city limits of Sonoma. There was no good reasoning that would suggest any of the three would swing the other way. Meanwhile, Rachel Hundley and Amy Harrington continued to support permitting a dispensary, but were the minority.

Let’s remember there are three city council seats open for the coming November election. The results can open the door to an ordinance better tailored to the needs of Sonoma.

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