Call to Action for Cannabis Social Equity at Mayor GLoria’s State of City Address — Wed., Jan. 10 at 6pm

By Terrie Best, San Diego ASA Co-Chair

Amid outrage that Mayor Todd Gloria has capitulated to special interests with regard to implementing the cannabis Social Equity and Economic Development (SEED) Program and cannabis social equity as a policy, the Roll up for Equity Campaign and the Diversity Cannabis Group will be rallying and holding a press conference outside Balboa Theatre before the Mayor’s State of the City Address to peacefully protest the Mayor’s lack of commitment.

For almost two years, the cannabis and equity communities have been working with San Diego City Development Services to provide input on using state grant money designated to create opportunities for individuals unfairly over-police for cannabis – which is now a legal substance.

The state recognized that significant harm by the war on cannabis had been committed and has offered funding to municipalities to right the wrongs. San Diego city took advantage of $800,000 to create an assessment of the drug war damage. Social justice proponents were elated but then recently, the entire SEED program was yanked away from Development Services and put under sole control of the Mayor’s office. Since then, there has been stalling, a lack of commitment and no progress.

Former Council Member of District 4, Monica Montgomery Steppe, saw this reassignment of SEED to the Mayor’s direct reports in the Department of Race and Equity as a misstep and spoke against it at the dais.

Community organizer Genevieve Jone-Wright has recently challenged Mayor Gloria for Mayor. As the founder of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance (MOGO) she is a proponent of cannabis social equity. With Jones-Wright entering the race Mayor Gloria should think twice before he alienates equity and cannabis proponents.

Said Johann Balbuena, a veteran and the Co-Spokesperson for the Roll up for Equity campaign, “Cannabis is medicine and we have a moral obligation to see to it that more opportunities and frankly more retail outlets are available to the underserved and over-policed in the city, we will continue to fight for our community.”

The Diversity Cannabis Group gave the Mayor a choice: “Fully commit to 36 additional cannabis retail licenses or face a community weary of being set aside.” The group states further, “We have identified individuals who spent years in prison for cannabis, we intend for their voices to be heard at this press conference and we will continue to champion this issue as long as necessary.” Finally, “The Mayor should know we not only have the cannabis and minority vote behind us but there are state funds and support for a diversified and significantly more robust cannabis market as well.”

The SEED Program, as written by Development Services, would allow 36 licenses to be designated in transit priority areas in keeping with the city’s strategic plan. The deadline to use the state grant of 800K is October, 2024.

Conversely, the County of San Diego is well on its way to a more permissive cannabis industry.

According to a bill authored by State Assembly Member Phil Ting, (D19) in 2019, in order to drive consumers and growers to the legal market, a city would need roughly 10,000-17,000 outlets per citizen. San Diego city has 1 outlet per 111,000 people.