PROMOTION OF MARIJUANA MOVE TO COUNTY'S B' LIST

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday that
advocating for the legalization of personal marijuana use as it is
required to do under the county's Measure G which passed in 2000
should not be on the priority list of legislative action the county
will send to the Legislature this year.

The board decided to move the marijuana advocacy language to another
list of legislative matters it sends the state, which monitors ongoing
legislative activities that are not currently in crisis mode.

The "A" list, as the county is calling those state issues it considers
most important, has three basic criteria: The county is ready to
"fight the battle" over the issue; the issue has a high probability of
success; or the issue does not carry a price tag.

In the case of marijuana use, the supervisors thought it would be
inappropriate given the current budget crisis for the county to use
what muscle it has, lobbying on that issue.

The "A" list, for instance, contains the county's appeal to keep the
California Department of Forestry air attack base open and preserve
Williamson Act agricultural land conservation funding.

"To list (Measure G) among the highest priorities ... it doesn't meet
(the criteria)," said Supervisor Mike Delbar.

The supervisors agreed to move the language to the county's "B" list.
Supervisors Hal Wagenet and David Colfax further suggested the board
should take up Measure G as a separate issue and do its lobbying on
that issue in a separate forum, giving it more weight. No vote was
taken on that idea.

Measure G put the county's residents on record supporting the
legalization of the personal use of marijuana in Mendocino County and
also required the county supervisors to promote legislation to do that.