n DISCOURSE
We’ve been living through some devastating fire seasons.
What can cities do to help prevent or deal with this situ-
ation?
I think the local response is to really focus on what we can be
doing on the front end. What would pre-disaster mitigation look
like? For cities, that might mean taking a look at your land-use
plans [and] helping residents understand how to take care of
themselves in these kinds of emergencies. … I’ve had the oppor-
tunity to have multiple conversations with Santa Rosa Mayor
Chris Coursey and some of his staff, and I’m always reminded
of the resilience of cities and local leaders. There will certainly
be lessons that Santa Rosa will be able to share with all of us,
because we’re all a day away from a natural disaster.
Recreational marijuana is legal in California, but some
cities still bar legal services that deliver weed into their
locale. State cannabis regulators want to allow deliveries
even into communities that have said they don’t want dis-
pensaries. Why does the League oppose those regulations?
We’re an organization built on the concept of local control,
meaning the local level of government and the elected repre-
sentatives ought to be making the decisions. From the Leagues’
perspective, it was fundamental to us as a part of Prop 64 [Adult
Use of Marijuana Act] that local control be protected.
Marijuana advocates say the lack of uniformity in our
cannabis laws across California prevents the state from
maximizing the economic potential. Is there a pathway
to uniformity?
I hope we can continue to look at lack of uniformity as an asset
in our state — the 482 different communities that we have in
California represent the essence of a diverse state. So is there
a pathway forward? I’m sure there is. Recreational marijuana
has been legal since Jan. 1, 2018. It is now only September 2018.
We have a long way to go. We are going to continue to learn as
cities. We are certainly in conversation with some of our col-
leagues across the country who have also been walking down
the path of this great experiment … but I think it would be
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That’s where we
come in.”