ANDERSON SENIOR APARTMENT COMPLEX MANAGER FIRED OVER MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

ANDERSON - Although he says he has a doctor's recommendation to smoke
medical marijuana, the on-site manager of a senior apartment complex
here claims he was fired by its new Southern California-based
management company after he failed its drug-screening test.

The firing of Christian Hughes, 33, who has two weeks in which to
leave his apartment in the well-kept complex, has raised the ire of
some of those senior citizens who live comfortably at the 81-unit
Regency Place Senior Apartments on Red Bud Lane.

It's their home, they say. And Hughes is like family.

Sixty-eight-year-old Norene Faidley, a resident for longer than three
years, says Hughes is much more than an on-site manager to many of
them.

"Christian is our brother, our son, our grandson, and we love him,"
she said.

Faidley sent a letter to the owners of the apartment complex, MCA
Housing Partners in Gardena, in hopes of saving Hughes' job. She
described him as an excellent manager, as well as a trusted,
thoughtful and caring friend.

"He cares about us and our concerns," she said. "No problem is too
large or small, whether repairing an earring or eyeglasses to handling
the unexpected illness or death of a resident."

She also sent a letter of support to the new San Diego-based
management company, ConAm Management, which has a regional office in
Roseville.

Andy Ladresh, the management company's senior regional vice president,
said Wednesday that he was unable to speak in detail about the firing
of Hughes due to employee-employers liability issues.

But, he said, not all of those residing at the apartment complex are
sorry to see Hughes go.

"There are those who are happy about the change," he said, but
declined to elaborate.

Sixty-four-year-old Diane Bethany, an apartment complex resident who
started a petition drive that obtained about 60 signatures in support
of Hughes, says she and many others there are upset by his firing.

"He's a terrific guy," she said, adding that he's always been
protective of the residents and goes above and beyond his management
duties to help them out.

"He's always there for us," she said, adding that his use of medical
marijuana has never interfered with his job.

"We are all on prescriptions here," she said, adding that the drugs
many of the seniors use are probably a lot more potent than the
marijuana Hughes smokes for medical purposes.

Hughes, who has been the on-site manager for almost five years, said
he obtained a doctor's recommendation to use marijuana about three
years ago.

He smokes it as a relaxant and an appetite stimulant and to control
pain from nagging injuries he suffered in a traffic wreck several
years ago, he said.

"It helps me sleep at night," he said.

Hughes, who lives in his on-site apartment with his nearly 3-year-old
yellow Labrador retriever, Sage, said management of the apartment
complex changed around Thanksgiving.

Although the management company reassured them then that they wanted
to keep existing employees, it said those employees would have to pass
its mandatory drug-screening process, which required him to submit a
follicle sample.

Hughes said he told the new management company from the get-go about
his medical pot recommendation and had hoped to retain his job.

But, he said, he got his pink slip on Monday and was given two weeks
to move out.

Although he's exploring possible options and has spoken with an
attorney, Hughes said he doesn't want to leave and has been gratified
by the support he's been shown by tenants.

"This has been a great job," he said, noting that property grounds, as
well as the financial records for the apartment complex, are spotless.

"The property looks great," he said. "There's nothing wrong with it,
except me, I guess."