Proponents seeking to legalize marijuana dispensaries and retail shops in Chula Vista are now gathering signatures for a possible ballot measure.
Professional signature gatherers recently stood in front of Chula Vista grocery stores, libraries and the post office seeking more than the 19,653 signatures needed to force a special election.
Chula Vista’s election code says a petition needs to be signed by 10 percent of registered voters in the city for a regular election, or 15 percent of the registered voters for a special election.
Although use of recreational marijuana became legal in California at the beginning of the year, Chula Vista’s municipal code still prohibits the operation of all marijuana dispensaries for both recreation and medicinal purposes.
The eight-page initiative looks to change that.
“The proposed initiative repeals this prohibition and proposes to allow the operation of an unspecified number of cannabis retail, cultivation and manufacturing and distribution businesses within Chula Vista,” the proposed initiative states.
Under the initiative, the retail sale of cannabis would be authorized, subject to approval of a conditional use permit in all of the city’s existing commercial zones, and mixed-use zones of the Village Specific Plan area.
The Chula Vista city attorney provided a potential ballot title and ballot description for the measure.
Vivian Dunbar, a professional signature gatherer, manned her table in front of the Ralphs on East Palomar Street in the Sunbow area of Chula Vista. She said signature gatherers were told to collect at least 30,000 signatures combined from registered voters in Chula Vista.
While there has been some opposition to the proposal, Dunbar said most people were willing to sign the petitions.
“Chula Vista voters are happy to sign the regulate marijuana petition,” Dunbar said.
“Residents are upset over the number of dispensaries opening up around the city, some are open 24/7 and are next to private homes. While many residents support medical marijuana availability, no one wants a neighborhood with unregulated dispensaries,” she said.
Dunbar is considered an independent contractor and gets paid $2 per signature she collects.
Once the appropriate number of signatures are collected, they must be turned into the city clerk for verification. Proponents have 180 days or six months from when they received the title and summary to submit the petition.
Upon submission of the petition, the city clerk either certifies the sufficiency of the petition or rejects the filing if it does not meet the applicable requirements.
If the petition is sufficient, the City Council either adopts the ordinance or submits the ordinance to voters as a ballot measure at an election. The City Council may also order a report of the effect of the proposed measure before deciding whether to adopt the ordinance or submit to voters.
In Chula Vista, an initiative is described as “the power if the electors to propose a new ordinance.” Electors of the city may submit a proposed ordinance by filing a petition with the city clerk that contains the required number of signatures and is otherwise compliant with applicable law.
For the marijuana initiative, Chula Vista residents Juan C. Villegas and Timothy R. Acter filed citizen petitions with the city clerk in July and in August in an attempt to consider regulating both medicinal and recreational marijuana.
