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- Written by: Scott Knickmeyer
I have seen some signs around that claim Measure S is overtaxing the poor.
Measure S proposes a half-cent sales tax on every dollar spent on taxable goods. This means that a number of items do not get any tax such as food, prescriptions, medical services, utilities, house payments and rents. The basic necessities will not be taxed.
Other items will be subject to the sales tax and estimates have shown that individuals earning an average income in Lake County will pay around $30 to $35 annually in additional sales tax whereas lower income individuals will pay an average of $15.
Without Measure S there stands to be increased cost of living such as water bills and possibly property taxes.
The other effect that could occur should Measure S not pass is the county having to defer or reduce services should there be increased costs to preserve and protect the lake.
Monies would have to come from the general fund to address lake issues and there would be less money for libraries, senior centers, maintenance of infrastructure, etc.
With Measure S we can estimate the cost to each individual. Without it we have no idea what it will cost each individual and what services will be affected.
Scott Knickmeyer is chair of the Save the Lake Committee 2014, which is supporting the passage of Measure S in Lake County, Calif.
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- Written by: Ron Green
The fearmongering no on Measure O “hit piece” makes me think that perhaps Harry Anslinger has been reincarnated in Lake County as a political consultant.
Anslinger was a former Prohibition agent who spread lies about cannabis as America’s first drug czar, creating the reefer madness of the 1930s and leading to the federal criminalization of marijuana in 1937.
In his own words, he went after “[N]egroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers [with] their Satanic music, jazz and swing [which] result from marijuana use.”
Revered jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong were thrown in jail for smoking cannabis, and millions of cannabis arrests followed.
I know that Lake County’s voters are much too smart to fall for the outrageous scare tactics of the No on O campaign and the modern day prohibitionists.
Smart voters deal in facts, not fear. And the fact is that Measure O effectively balances patient rights with the right of neighbors to be free of nuisances caused by cultivation.
Measure O protects patient access, our neighborhoods, the environment and the economy, and is self-funded by fees charged for collective cultivation on large rural acreage parcels.
Please don’t be fooled by the No on O “liar flyer.” It is nothing but outright lies, innuendos and fearmongering.
On November 4, vote yes on Measure O.
Ron Green is an attorney. He lives in Lower Lake, Calif., and has been active in advocating for Measure O.
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- Written by: Jana Ramsey
As I read the pamphlets that are flooding my mailbox that are distributed by the parties for measure O and P, and as I listen to their propaganda on the radio, I see and hear the one for the child that has seizures and needs his CBD medical cannabis.
First off, I am a mother, grandmother and retired medical assistant. I am glad that this mother has found something to help her son, but, on the other hand, this mother lives in Clearlake and Measure N does not affect her. The city of Clearlake has its own rules and regulations regarding marijuana.
Another thing I would like to know, does she have a pediatrician following her son’s progress on this treatment?
She states that she gives her son one drop of the cannabis oil on a daily basis to control his ailment. She also states in the handouts, that “locally grown, high CBD medical cannabis saved her son’s life.”
Why does it need to be locally grown? What about quality control? How are the CBDs regulated? What about the quality of plants in the grow site?
I would fear that the “medication” I gave to my child last month just might be different this month, if you have a new batch of “medication.”
As a medical assistant, I had to perform quality control on each test we did in our office. These included strep tests, urine pregnancy tests, even blood glucose testing – all had quality controls.
Measure N does provide for the patients that truly need their “medical marijuana” in whatever form. Those that are pushing these measures O and P wrote them before Measure N was even voted on in June. They did not want Measure N at all.
They are like the toddler throwing a tantrum, kicking their heels until they get their way. It is plain that those in favor of these two measures do not have any compassion; they’re only in this for profit.
Those in favor of these two measures talk about the revenue they could bring into this community. They talk about how they are going to make the growers accountable for each plant. Oh, really? The growers ignore the regulations now. What would be different?
The pro-grow individuals do not talk about the possibility of those producing the “honey oil” made from cannabis. As I did some research, the marijuana used in the article was grown indoors under 1,000 watt lights. They stated this was the best way to produce the best CBDs of the particular strain of cannabis.
The article continued on stating they used 190 proof alcohols – one and one half gallons of alcohol to one pound of marijuana They then cook this on a hot plate outdoors. Is this another odor the community will have to deal with?
To top this off, this concoction is extremely volatile. That’s not what our neighborhoods need to worry about along with the increased possibility of crime, violence, and etc. due to grow sites in our communities.
The lawyers and pro-growers that wrote these two measures want you to think this is the only way that patients will be able to receive their medication.
They are pulling the wool over your eyes if you believe them. They are in this for profit only. The lawyers are no different than the ambulance chasers in the larger cities. In this case, the “ambulance” they are chasing are the pro-growers. The pro-growers will pay anything to get this pushed through.
I will be very afraid if one of these measures pass, we will lose our county to thugs and other to criminals. We will lose the quality of life many of us have enjoyed for generations.
I urge you to vote no on both measure O and P.
Jana Ramsey lives in Lakeport, Calif.
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- Written by: Nelson Strasser
I am a member of the issues committee of the Democratic Central Committee here in Lake County.
The committee was asked to look at all the measures on the coming ballot.
We read the measures, read the arguments, pro and con, listened to speakers pro and con, and debated the points. The process took two meetings and several hours.
Our vote was not capricious; we did our due diligence as Democrats and democrats. There were two attorneys on our committee.
My own experience was that I read Measure O. Then, I read the arguments against Measure O. And then, I read “O” a second time.
I discovered a strange phenomenon: Every issue raised by the opponents of “O” is dealt with comprehensively within “O.” What this means is the opponents of “O” most likely have not read the measure.
I won’t dwell on all the arguments, but I want to deal with one issue that was a concern of mine as well. I wanted protection for a resident that might find their neighbor’s cultivation of marijuana to be a nuisance.
First, I want to discuss a notion that underlies the law: Freedom is not an absolute. Put most succinctly by the legendary Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, “The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins."
Measure O expresses that cultivation of marijuana is not an absolute: The grower may not create a nuisance such as an odor that would interfere with a neighboring resident’s enjoyment of his property.
To insure this protection, the measure uses what is called in law “mandatory language,” which include the words “must and shall.” Mandatory language means that enforcement has to happen.
And, the measure creates the means to ensure the enforcement. Better yet, the measure is self-funding, so that a fee on the plants will cover the expense of administering the measure.
Measure O also calls for the protection of the environment, regulating pesticides, fertilizer, run-offs and so on.
Marijuana is, and will be, grown in Lake County for medicinal purposes. This is established in state law. The question here and now is the creation of a measure that creates reasonable regulations for those that grow, and protection for those that don’t. In this regard, Measure O is a masterpiece.
Nelson Strasser lives in Lakeport, Calif.