My Hood: Lakeview, San Francisco

Former SF Supervisor Brings the City's Progressiveness to the State

California would become the first state in the nation to legalize marijuana for recreational use under a bill introduced Monday by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano of San Francisco.

The proposal would regulate marijuana like alcohol, with people over 21 years old allowed to grow, buy, sell and possess cannabis - all of which is barred by federal law.

Ammiano, a Democrat in his third month as a state lawmaker, said taxes and other fees associated with regulation could put more than a billion dollars a year into state coffers at a time when revenues continue to decline.

He said he thinks the federal government could soften its stance on marijuana under the Obama administration.

"We could in fact have the political will to do something, and certainly in the meantime this is a public policy call and I think it's worth the discussion," Ammiano said. "I think the outcome would be very healthy for California and California's economy."

A spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington, D.C., declined to comment on the proposal. A White House spokesman referred to a statement on a question-and-answer section of an Obama transition team blog that says the president "is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana."

While Californians have shown some tolerance for marijuana, such as use for medical conditions with voters' passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, the proposal will face tough opposition in Sacramento.

A lobbyist for key police associations in the state called it "a bad idea whose time has not come."

"The last thing our society needs is yet more legal intoxicants," said John Lovell, who represents the California Peace Officers' Association, California Police Chiefs Association and California Narcotic Officers' Association. "We've got enough social problems now when people aren't in charge of all five of their senses."

But Ammiano's proposal has the support of San Francisco Sheriff Michael Hennessey, who said the idea "should be the subject of legislative and public debate."

It also has the backing of Betty Yee, who chairs the state Board of Equalization, which collects taxes in California. An analysis by the agency concluded the state would collect $1.3 billion a year from tax revenues and a $50-an-ounce levy on retail sales if marijuana were legal.

The analysis also concluded that legalizing marijuana would drop its street value by 50 percent and increase consumption of the substance by 40 percent.

A spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, which advocates for reform in marijuana laws and is backing Ammiano's proposal, said any expected increase in consumption is a "false notion."

"They are making an intuitive assumption that a lot of people make that really does not have that much evidence behind it," said Bruce Mirken, the group's spokesman, who predicted it could take up to two years before the idea wins legislative approval.

"Don't tell me that doing something like (this) proposal is going to introduce another drug into society. That's a load of bull."

-SFGate.com

In My Line of Work...

I have been taught that one victory is worth a thousand losses.

Being a "professional worrier" is part of my job description.

I have no power over other people's lives, no matter how much I wish I did.

I do the paperwork, God takes care of the rest.

Regardless of how many hours I put in, the work will never be done.

Happy Birthday Bob!

"Life and Jah are one in the same. Jah is the gift of existence. I am in some way eternal, I will never be duplicated. The singularity of every man and woman is Jah’s gift. What we struggle to make of it is our sole gift to Jah. The process of what that struggle becomes, in time, the Truth."

"Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake up and live! "

“When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself.”

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Razor Sharp Enterprises Presents "This Is Why I'm So Angry!"

Spoken Word/Poetry Reading
Featuring: at-risk youth from the S.F. Boys Group home and special guest appearances of some of the Bay Area's best spoken word artists.

February 12, 2009
Marcus Books
1712 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
5pm-6pm
Snacks & Drinks will be served

Get ye to the children and help support them in their transition back into a society that has written them off. Come show some love for these special and powerful youth!

Sponsored by: Marcus Book Stores, the Village Project, I.C.A.N. (Inner City Adolescents Network), "J"s Temple of Islam, Y.M.C.A., United Playaz, & S.E.O.P (Senior Ex-Offenders Program)

The Struggle Continues in the Bay Area

7 East Bay teens arrested - hate crime alleged.

One minute he was hanging out with seven seemingly friendly guys in a park, the next he said he was on the ground, the blows coming from all sides, a fist or foot landing hard enough to fracture six bones in his face.

But it was the words accompanying the blows that made Manning, 24, think he was about to die.

"Coon." And then, "How do you like this, you f-ing n-?"

A week after the Jan. 24 incident, Richmond police officers arrested seven East Bay teenagers on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon - a hate crime investigation delayed five days because of a police clerical error.

The seven are white. Manning is black.

"I don't understand how somebody could do that in this day and age," Manning said Sunday. "I never, never thought it would happen to me."

Not in California and not in the East Bay, Manning said.

The Case Against Officer Mehserle.

Exhibit A - Sig Sauer P226 Pistol

Exhibit B- X26 Taser Gun

I've only held two guns in my life and neither of them were a taser. Looking at the pictures, I notice that the trigger for both guns are in different locations but in the same vicinity. As for size and weight, they look almost the same. It could have been an honest mistake made by anyone... but a police officer? Officer Mehserle states that he meant to grab his taser and not his pistol. If Mehserle's lawyer is able to prove that claim in a court of law, Mehserle can avoid facing a murder sentence. There is a likelihood that Mehserle is going to avoid any serious criminal charges but he is going to face serious civil suits. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the family of Oscar Grant is pursuiting a $25 million dollar wrongful death suit and all Mehserle's gotta do is file for bankruptcy to avoid having to pay a dime.

But can you imagine what it would be like for him should he get sentenced to prison time? A white male officer sitting in San Quentin for the murder of a black unarmed male. That's justice, in my opinion. It may sound like a generalization but how many white male law enforcement agents do you know in San Quentin, in general?

Someone must serve as the martyr for the white male law enforcement community.

Pisces Horoscope 02.01.09

Kicking off the birthday month! Only 27 days left of being 24!

"Today may feel like your lucky day. Your feeling of good fortune could inspire you to take big chances that could garner huge winnings. There may be a dream you want to pursue but have been too scared to go for because of the risk involved. Think of what your life could be like if you were living the dream rather than dreaming about it."

-DailyOm