[Justonevoice]

LA advocates help elect City Attorney
May 20th, 2009

Medical cannabis patients and advocates helped elect Carmen Trutanich as the new City Attorney on Tuesday, but the results in the District 5 City Council race are still too close to call. Paul Koretz appears to be the likely winner in that contest, but with only a few hundred votes separating him from his opponent, the provisional ballots will decide the outcome. The Los Angeles medical cannabis community threw its growing grassroots weight behind Koretz and Trutanich in hopes of steering the city towards a more reasonable medical cannabis policy.


City Attorney Elect Trutanich with GLACA members
The Greater Los Angeles Caregivers Alliance (GLACA), which is working to develop and implement sensible regulations for medical cannabis collectives and cooperatives, helped call voters, walk precincts, and turn out hundreds of members to elect the two candidates. GLACA members joined City Councilmembers Zine and Hahn in Universal City on Tuesday night to celebrate Trutanich’s victory, while a delegation of medical cannabis advocates gathered in central Los Angeles to watch the neck-and-neck race with Koretz.

The election of Trutanich - and possibly Koretz - is good news for medical cannabis supporters. Paul Koretz is the former Mayor of West Hollywood and California Assemblymember who has been a long-time champion of medical cannabis rights. He is likely to replace medical cannabis opponent Jack Weiss as the representative for District 5 – which will mean one more vote for safe access on the City Council.

Carmen Trutanich defeated outgoing Los Angeles City Councilmember Jack Weiss in the race for City Attorney following a surprisingly negative campaign. Patients and advocates feared Weiss would carry on outgoing City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo’s policy of obstructing progress on implementing sensible medical cannabis policy in the city. Trutanich told GLACA members he would uphold the state’s laws at a neighborhood meeting before the election.

Neighborhood groups and media have been critical of the City Council and City Attorney’s office for not moving quickly enough to regulate the exploding number of patients’ associations in Los Angeles. Having another medical cannabis supporter on the City Council and a more reasonable City Attorney could be important as the city begins the work of adopting a permanent ordinance in earnest this summer.

Congratulations to GLACA, the Union of Medical Marijuana Patients, and dozens of patients’ associations who helped make a difference!

[indicalover]

I'm hoping either will be more intelligent than Steve Cooley, LA County District Attorney. Recent quote of his to a CNN reporter "The vast, vast, vast majority, about 100% of dispensaries in Los Angeles County- City, are operating illegally- dealing marijuana illegally. Per our theory so, over time, we are going to eradicate the illegal sale of marijuana in local dispensaries."

[VooDoo Chile]

Originally Posted by indicalover

I'm hoping either will be more intelligent than Steve Cooley, LA County District Attorney. Recent quote of his to a CNN reporter "The vast, vast, vast majority, about 100% of dispensaries in Los Angeles County- City, are operating illegally- dealing marijuana illegally. Per our theory so, over time, we are going to eradicate the illegal sale of marijuana in local dispensaries."

[anotherdimension13]

Carmen Trutanich = bad news.

[wallawalla]

Originally Posted by indicalover

I'm hoping either will be more intelligent than Steve Cooley, LA County District Attorney. Recent quote of his to a CNN reporter "The vast, vast, vast majority, about 100% of dispensaries in Los Angeles County- City, are operating illegally- dealing marijuana illegally. Per our theory so, over time, we are going to eradicate the illegal sale of marijuana in local dispensaries."

Are we going back in time?

[HighQualityMedicine]

It appears to me that the same guy we allegedly voted into office to make positive reform and get an ordinance passed in the city of LA, so that there is some sort of regulation as there is in most other cities throughout California. But instead he's working in direct connection with Cooley, who wants to pass unreasonable regulation, therefore making it difficult to meet the growing demand for medical marijuana. The law in 96' was passed, it's a written law, and their regulation violates that law.

Los Angeles City Attorney declares war on medical marijuana

[cannadyke]

Trutch just pisses me off. i voted for him because he came to the MMJ community for votes w/ a "promise" of getting behind us. liar. after getting our support, then he turns around and screws us. this will be his only term in office. he is just pissing off too many people.

[HighQualityMedicine]

typical political power games, using a certain platform to promote oneself into a higher position of power. Choosing a side on a particular mainstream issue in the media and reacting to the extreme from side of the spectrum or other.