MARIJUANA DISPENSARY OPERATING IN VALLEJO?

Despite its not being technically illegal in Vallejo, a medical
marijuana dispensary appears to be operating on Napa Street.

Another such business seems to have recently vacated a Georgia Street
building downtown.

A Jan. 21 announcement from the city attorney's office, posted and
available at City Hall, makes it clear that medical marijuana
dispensaries are "not allowed in the city of Vallejo."

While there is no official moratorium on such dispensaries in
Vallejo, and they aren't specifically illegal here, the announcement
advises those seeking to open such businesses, that city zoning laws
don't permit them.

"Anyone operating such a business would be violating the zoning
ordinance," Assistant City Attorney Claudia Quintana said. Violators
can be moved against civilly and possibly also criminally, she said.

Because of its limited resources, the Vallejo Police Department must
prioritize its efforts, So unless such a business were found to be
causing increased crime in an area or violating state law, nothing
would likely be done to halt its operations, Police Department
spokesman Abel Tenorio said.

Nevertheless, the converted Napa Street house appears to be operating
just such a business, said one man who identified himself as an
employee and several who said they are clients.

Next door to the apparent pot club is a dentist's office. The office
manager there said she is aware the neighbor sells medical marijuana.

"We haven't had any problems, but we're concerned," Kathleen Salacup
said. "It's very busy there, and we want our patients to feel safe."

Reports of another dispensary operating out of the Georgia Street
Plaza at 301 Georgia St., were confirmed by several other building
tenants who asked not to be identified.

"I smelled marijuana coming from there, but they seem to have moved,"
one tenant said. "It seems like they were only there for a matter of weeks."

The dispensary was tucked into the building that contains insurance
agencies, lawyers, gift shops, and the Central Core Restoration
Corp., before it cleared out recently, several tenants said.

"I smelled something I shouldn't be smelling," one tenant said. "I
asked them about it -- that was about a month ago -- and they said
they were a medical marijuana dispensary. But I haven't seen them
since and I hear they moved out."

The second-floor suite that tenants say contained the pot store
appeared dark and empty Wednesday.

Plaza owner Jim Barcewski said before directing further inquiries to
his lawyer that he had no comment on the matter, saying only that he
never intentionally rented space to a pot club.

Several calls to Barcewski's lawyer, Terrye Davis of Vallejo's Davis
& Davis, were not returned.

"To my knowledge I'm not (renting to a pot store)," Barcewski said.
"People are saying that, but I rented to a place that represented
itself as therapists and doctors."

Central Core Restoration Corp. executive coordinator Todd Williams
said he'd heard rumors about a pot dispensary in the building, but
"never actually witnessed anything."

But, he said, if a pot store were in the building, and it left,
that's fine with him.

"If such a thing were happening, I'd be all for it being gone," he
said. "That's not the type of activity we need in our town."

Linda Jimenez, chairwoman of Compassionate Coalition, a medical
marijuana advocacy group, and secretary of its Solano County chapter
disagreed. She said she filed suit against Solano County on the
matter in January. The action was dropped last month when Solano
County Supervisors voted to begin issuing medical marijuana cards,
she said. She said Solano County is the "most controversial county in
the Bay Area on this issue."

"There's been a lot of drama," she said. "The (Solano County)
Sheriff's Office is notorious for raiding dispensaries and even
patients who are growing their own medicine in their own homes."

Jimenez said she's convinced any dispensaries operating in Vallejo
are unaware of the official notice, and she thinks it should be rescinded.

"I think the dispensaries should be left alone, especially now that
Solano County is recognizing medical marijuana by providing ID
cards," Jimenez said. "Vallejo should let the people get their medicine."