IF YOU REMEMBER THE SIXTIES...

Speaking of not having your act together, that's what happened for
others and me at the last Martinez City Council meeting, Feb. 16,
when we got rolled 3 to 2 by the Martinez City Council. The other
side, the pro-marijuana people, had their act together and the City
Council votes, which I didn't realize until later were all set.

So there I was in my suit, along with my wife Kit and many others, to
meet our maker when it comes to politics in downtown Martinez. Mr.
Menesini was holding court.

The man is a maestro when it comes to marijuana dispensaries. He went
on and on in circles for about 30 minutes, tutoring the Council
members on the ins-and-outs on his newest proposed ordinance to
legalize marijuana dispensaries in Martinez.

But before we get to the outcome, which in my judgment is sad, let's
talk about a recent incident in downtown Martinez. About two weeks
ago I became aware of a possible felony.

In consequence I talked to a couple of DAs in the downtown office who
told me, "Tom, you better report that to the police right away." So I
went to the Martinez Police Department, next to City Hall, to make
out a report.

Then I waited and waited.

After 35 minutes I went home and my wife asked me, "Did you make out
that police report?" No, I told her. To which she said, you're not
getting dinner tomorrow unless you report it. Kit doesn't fool around.

So I did. I went down to the police department and waited in the lobby.

After 40 minutes an officer came through the front door and took me
inside for an interview.

When we were done I asked him why he came through the front door? He
told me, "Because I was on patrol." I couldn't believe it so I asked
him again, "You mean to tell me there isn't a day officer in the
station?" Nope, they're all on patrol, we don't have the manpower, he said.

Unfortunately three members of the City Council don't care. They're
going to bring into the city a highly contentious business entity,
which is going to require a lot of supervision, by the police, to
meet the requirements that these pot clubs engender.

I think a little history is in order.

Martinez now has on its books a marijuana ordinance, which has been
in existence for ten years and has not resulted in any pot clubs.

So the old ordinance is working fine. If it ain't broken don't fix
it. And ten years is proof it isn't broken.

Yet to hear Mr. Menesini you'd think that the safe and sound
ten-year-old ordinance is fatally flawed, way too porous and full of loopholes.

He thinks a new ordinance is needed to protect the public.

Janet Kennedy, a Council member who in my opinion voted the right
way asked the most telling question.

If the old ordinance, she said, is inadequate and insufficient to
protect the public why haven't any dispensaries opened?

Council member Mark Ross, who also voted the right way, said that
when he voted for the original ordinance ten years ago, he was told
that the ordinance made opening a pot club virtually impossible. So
my opinion is that Mr. Menesini, Mr. Schroder and Ms. DeLaney
actually want to craft a new ordinance, which will result in pot clubs.

And I think I know who will be the first licensee.

Let's get back to Janet Kennedy. I met her during the break, she's a
nice lady and the niece of a famous uncle; his name is Sam Boghosian,
football coach extraordinaire, former offensive coordinator for the
Oakland Raiders and winner of two Super Bowls with the Raiders. I
enjoyed talking to her about this outstanding coach, who by
coincidence recruited me to go to Oregon State University a long time
ago just before the mushroom cloud of dope hit the 60s. The Grizz
needed to get out of town and Sam the man gave me a passport.

We met at the old Concord Inn, with Chappy Lisle, Diablo Valley
College coach, in attendance. The litany went like this: We want you
up at Oregon State right away he meant January 1966. The lunch was
in November 1965, just weeks after Diablo Valley College had stunned
the number one team in the nation, San Francisco City College, which
featured the audacious O.J. Simpson, who scored six touchdowns and
ran for 300-yards the week before.

I had the good fortune of throwing Simpson for an eight-yard loss to
start off and then teaming with the human torpedo Ralph Vallis and
others to help hold Simpson and his team to a 16-16 tie. It didn't
hurt, from Sam's point of view, that I was named Most Valuable
Lineman, Team Captain, First Team All Conference and what have you.
Anyhow, Sam changed my life and got me out of a scene, which became
crazy in a short while.

Also on that Diablo Valley team was Mike Menesini, a running back out
of Los Lomas, who came up to me in the showers one day and asked, "Do
you know my relatives in Martinez?" I did. Mendo was something.

We became friends, especially many years later when we had become
lawyers and survived the drug era.

Let's talk about pain everybody's got it. My hip hurt for three
years until I got the replacement. Everybody deals with it
differently, but everybody's going to get it. Some of it is
emotional, some of it is the nerves, some of it is the heart, and
some of it is the soul. The percentage of people that need marijuana,
as a true pain reliever is very small compared to those who want it
for the side effects.

The statistics support this, but the Council doesn't want to hear it.

Let's talk about law enforcement Former Sheriff Warren Rupf showed
up. He gave an eloquent speech against the new ordinance and
dispensaries in general.

After that great talk he was ignored by the majority of the Council
and not referred to in any of their comments. In fact, at no time did
Mr. Menesini, Ms. DeLaney, or Mr. Schroder ever ask the Martinez
Police Chief his opinion on the ordinance even though he was sitting
a few feet away from them. Wouldn't you think the Martinez City
Council would ask the Chief of Police what his opinion is? Isn't' his
office going to have to check these prescriptions for accuracy?

Aren't his officers going to check the amount purchased and the amount grown?

Or is the City just going to give the pot clubs a pass? You know what I think.

There was a point during the City Council meeting, which was almost
Godfather movie-esque when the City fathers made it known that they
were going to keep this stuff away from the kids, the schools and the
parks. I wanted to laugh but I didn't. Then during the break of the
meeting, which lasted almost until midnight, I went to see my old
friend Mr. Menesini to urge him to vote against the ordinance.

He didn't give me an answer, but I knew from his manner his vote was
already taken.

His mind was made up even though we in the audience were urged
several times to have open minds.

My mind is also made up. But shouldn't it be? I'm 64-years-old and
lived through the 70s when all hell broke loose.

My recollection of how marijuana spread so quickly among the young
people was that it was sold to them as a way to become smart
immediately. I'm not kidding. But that's also how I ran out of gas.
People read the next day what they wrote the night before and
realized it was gobbledygook. But now 40 years later it's being sold
as pain relief.

I went to the foyer area of the City Hall building, outside the
Council Chambers, near the bathrooms, where I met a group of about
six young men, who were from out of town and at the meeting to get a
pot club going.

They wanted a franchise and had the crooked hat look and hop head moves.

I kidded them that we, the locals, were going to roll them out of
town and send them back to Sacto or Stockton without getting pot a franchise.

So, I was hoping for another O.J. moment. But the leader laughed in
my face and told me that the vote was going to be 3 to 2 his way. I
told him no way, but sadly I was wrong.

P.S. I just got an email from someone who agrees with me, they say,
Martinez doesn't need a pot club, it already has a refinery, a jail,
a psych ward, ambulances and Friday night lights full of kids. So
true, so true.

P.S. The next City Council meeting is March 2. Mr. Schroder, open up
the public hearing.