POT CLUB COUNTS POLICE HQ AMONG NEW NEIGHBORS

OAKLAND -- In a month's time, the once-thriving Oaksterdam district has
lost all but one of its medical marijuana outlets, and the number of
permitted pot clubs citywide has dwindled to two.

California Advocate Relief Exchange has taken root at Seventh Street
and Broadway, sandwiched between a tattoo parlor and bail bonds
business, across the street from Oakland police headquarters.

The owners were forced to relocate from 19th Street and Telegraph
Avenue because city laws do not allow medical pot outlets within 1,000
feet of churches or schools. Mayor Jerry Brown's School for the Arts
relocated to the Fox Theater last year, and CARE had to move to keep
its permit, said Stacey Traylor of CARE.

Two other clubs -- Compassionate Caregivers at 2135 Broadway and the
nonprofit Oakland Compassionate Resource Center at 578 W. Grand Ave. --
were given 90-day permit extensions so they could fix building code
violations noted when they received ! their licenses last year.

When both businesses failed to get the work done by Sept. 7, their
permits expired, and they had to stop dispensing marijuana. The
dispensaries have reapplied for permits, but they must compete with
five other applicants for two available licenses that will be awarded
later this month, something that neither business feels is fair.

City hearing officer Barbara Killey said she gave the businesses
90-day permit extensions because the city had not provided a list of
code violations to the clubs last year. But when they did not complete
the work, she said she had no choice but to make them reapply to be
fair to other applicants.

In the meantime, CARE and SR71 at 377 17th St. are the only outlets in
Oakland for patients to legally obtain the medicinal herb.

That's a far cry from the days when downtown Oakland's tiny,
wedgeshaped neighborhood between Broadway and Telegraph Avenue was
dubbed Oaksterdam because of pot clubs and cafe! s that sprang up
before the city stepped in and regulated them last ye ar.

Since June, Oakland has limited to four the number of permitted
medical cannabis outlets. In addition to restrictions about locating
close to schools, youth centers or churches, clubs cannot operate
within 1,000 feet of each other.

Traylor said CARE was forced to move very quickly and had just opened
in the new location 10 days ago. Traylor prefers to operate her club
in relative obscurity, and there are no signs on the darkened windows
or door. Two serious security guards limit entry to those carrying
valid medical cards, but it has become the worst-kept secret in town,
despite her efforts.

Oakland police Lt. Paul Berlin said he was surprised the club popped
up across the street. He said it is probably less likely it will
become a target of takeover robberies such as the one that recently
occurred at a club near San Leandro, but he couldn't rule it out.

"I don't know how they even got down here," he said. "One of my
walking officers saw somebody ! coming out with a little plastic bag,
so I started watching and saw people going in and out all day."

Marc Sean, 45, of Alameda has a prescription for marijuana for
insomnia and chronic back pain from an old car accident. He said at
first he thought the new location near police headquarters was a
little odd, then he figured it was probably a good thing, especially
since Oaksterdam is starting to look pretty deserted again.

"Nobody's stupid enough to rob here," he said. "I feel safer. The
criminal element will take you down anywhere, but at 19th and
Telegraph, many times I walked out the door and thought, 'I'll just
let that guy get a few blocks away before I leave.'"