We watched the Nevada City Council meeting on television last night, as residents, the county District Attorney and council members debated whether to allow a medical marijuana dispensary to open here.
The DA and most residents who spoke said “no,” but the council agreed to consider an ordinance allowing one to open.
It reminded me of the council’s recent decision to allow “safe and sane” fireworks — just as Grass Valley and the rest of the county banned them for public safety reasons. Marching to a different drumbeat, to be sure.
I was disappointed that the city’s police chief didn’t speak to present his opinion. One council member joked (I think) that he might be taking a cat nap.
Here’s my view: In a small community, governments need to work with each other to ensure consistent policy-making.
They also need to listen to their constituents and the public safety experts — and keep their priorities in mind. Council members also have to keep their political views out of the decision-making. They were elected to “nonpartisan” posts.
Nevada City has been unable to solve ongoing problems related to public safety in its parks.
We know people who grow medical marijuana legally in neighborhoods here, and it has attracted crime. The plants have been stolen, forcing relatives to stay over-night during harvesting season to help guard them.
Even the Chevron mini-mart in Nevada City, which sells alcohol on the edge of a neighborhood and is on the way to Pioneer Park, has created ongoing problems. One of them is lack of enforcement of open-container laws.
Two of the six workers at the proposed marijuana dispensary in Nevada City — one third of the “workforce” — would be security guards.
I’d rather see the council help solve more of our ongoing problems — such as public safety concerns in Callanan Park, right across the street from the DA’s office — before opening a can of worms on a new one.
I think the lack of enforcement on the open container law might be because for SO many years there was no law banning them. That might before you came (back?) here Jeff. It was one of the unique qualities of our “quaint” town. And I know you have a young child so it may not seem like a quality to you and yours. However, to blame the Nevada City Market (as most locals call it) ie Tom and Ruth who own the Market, is unfair. I did not realize it was their job to enforce that law. I thought it was the job of Chief Lou and his officers.