SUPERVISORS OPPOSE PROPOSITION TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is against the ballot
proposition to legalize marijuana and in favor of raising vehicle
license fees to support parks.

Those are just two of the six positions supervisors approved Tuesday
as they moved to endorse or reject the nine ballot propositions facing
voters in November.

Supervisors took a stand against Proposition 19, which would legalize
the cultivation and possession of marijuana.

Officials said the measure could cause problems for county social
services that are already stretched dealing with drug and alcohol
addiction, plus lead to conflicts with the federal government, which
does not recognize state law permitting use of medical marijuana.

"We think this is just going to create more confusion on an already
confusing topic," Windsor Police Chief and sheriff-elect Steve Freitas
told the board.

Supervisors voted to endorse Proposition 21, which would raise vehicle
license fees by $18 and create a dedicated $500 million fund to
support operation and expansion of the state parks system.

Sonoma County voters will also be asked to decide a local ballot
measure that would raise the vehicle registration fee $10 to provide
funding for road improvements, including bike trails and safe routes
to schools, and bus transportation.

Representatives from Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, which
promotes state parks in the Russian River area, encouraged support of
the state parks initiative, saying it would help with the roughly $1
billion park maintenance backlog and stimulate the local tourism economy.

"If we do have a fiscal rebound, this is where it starts," said Fred
Luna, a volunteer with the group.

Supervisor Paul Kelley was the lone dissenting vote on the state parks
measure, saying the initiative would hurt taxpayers and is an
"unnecessary act to bail out the state legislature" for not providing
park funding.

Kelley also questioned what he said was the "unusual step" of voting
on all the initiatives, and not just the ballot measures that have
something to do with county government, as done in the past.

"I would caution the board in the future on taking a position on all
the initiatives," he said.

Supervisors voted to take neutral positions on three
initiatives.

A spokesman with the county administrator's office said they presented
all initiatives to the board in order to be clear about the county's
stance on the slate. Neutral positions were recommended on measures
not seen as directly impacting county government, the spokesman said.

In addition to the state parks measure, the board endorsed:

- - Proposition 25, which would change the Legislature's vote
requirement to pass a budget from two-thirds to a simple majority.
Officials said the change could help pass a state budget on time and
allow the county to more effectively plan its own budget.

In addition to the marijuana measure, the board opposed:

- - Proposition 22, which would prohibit the state from taking funds
used for transportation or local government projects away. County
officials said the measure makes state funds for mental health,
alcohol and drug treatment more vulnerable and could result in a $13.8
million cut to county social services.

The vote puts the county at odds with local cities, and their lobbying
arm, the League of California Cities, which support the measure
because of its support of road and transportation funding.

- - Proposition 23, which would suspend the state law limiting
greenhouse gas emissions until unemployment drops to 5.5 percent.
County officials said the measure could harm local air quality and
undermine investment in green energy.

- - Proposition 26, which would change the legislative vote requirement
to two-thirds for state levies and other charges. Officials said it
would impose an additional step of seeking voter approval for local
levies, including fees charged for regulatory health and safety
inspections.

The board voted to remain neutral on:

- - Proposition 20, which would move the redistricting of congressional
seats from the Legislature to the Citizens Redistricting Commission,
established by voters' approval of Proposition 11 in 2008.

- - Proposition 24, which would repeal recent legislation that allows
businesses to carry back losses, share tax credits and use sales-based
income to lower taxable income.

- - Proposition 27, which would eliminate the Citizens Redistricting
Commission and return redistricting of Legislature and Board of
Equalization seats to the Legislature.