How I’m voting for the environment on Nov. 7, 2006, for the City of Santa Monica. Here are my votes for the state-level propositions and for the state-level offices.
My vote on Measure Y: Yes
Measure Y makes adult (over 21), personal (not on public property) marijuana use the lowest priority for law enforcement.
West Hollywood already enacted a similar measure last summer, though that was done not through a ballot initiative, but a City Council resolution. A similar proposition passed in Oakland in 2004, and both Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz have similar initiatives on their Nov. ballots. More on this in the LA Times.
The main opposition to Measure Y’s the Santa Monica Police Officers’s Association, which sent me a whole buncha flyers asking me to vote no: “Measure Y will force officers to respond to barking dog calls, parking calls and report calls before a call of someone using, growing, or manufacturing marijuana for personal use.”
My response: What’s wrong with that? I think a v. obnoxious barking dog can be a nuisance to the community, while a peaceful pot smoker doesn’t really bother anyone.
The one potential downside that had me thinking for a while: Measure Y requires that the police fill out a supplemental report form to report all adult marijuana arrests, citations, and property seizures. Yes, more paperwork — though the intent is to make sure that the lowest priority rule’s being followed. My main concern was that this paperwork would cost more money — but then, considering that we spend about $150 million a year enforcing marijuana laws, we’d prolly save money overall.
Measure Y’s endorsed by the California Nurses Assn. and Santa Monica Democratic Club.
