How dare you use the Vista Veterans Memorial Park wall in Vista as a prop to mislead voters?

THE VETERANS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM DOES NOT RECOMMEND MARIJUANA. It is the largest healthcare system in the USA with 1,243 facilities. The budget is $198.6 BILLION and pot is not part of their delivery of care solutions to the nine million veterans. If it worked, they would use it. It seems that the $100,000 -$500,000 pot proponents are spending, does not include fact-finding. As a Veterans under VA Healthcare, I ask, how dare you stoop so low to use us as just a prop?

They also insult all of us by saying it was written by local Vistans. That is not what clear source documents indicate (Malibu and Palm Springs). They further state that Z prohibits pot shops in residential areas when the measure states that they can be in mixed use zones (commercial on the first floor and residential on the above floors). They can be real close to you.  Is 600 feet close enough to cause concerns?

They say weed shops cannot be by schools.  The distance written in the measure is 600 feet. Even more troubling, pot shops can be right next to parks, churches and treatment facilities.

The additional tax revenue will be offset by enforcement costs, creating crime, creating additional addiction issues, driving away perspective businesses, keeping shoppers away, and driving down housing prices where they are located. See what happened to San Diego!

 

VOTE NO ON Z!

 

 

 

Some people believe certain pot components can cure specific illnesses. Others may think marijuana is helpful for covering up the pain. Their confidence is based on anecdotal feedback or personal experience. There is NO SCIENTIFIC STUDY SUPPORTING MARIJUANA. A few just like to get high. Others just want freedom from government control. If you do not have specific reasons for supporting Z, please read on or just say no!  It is bad for Vista.
Proponents use a 2017 city pot survey to support Z. However, the survey qualifiers were not satisfied in the 2018 Measure Z. It is apples and bananas. (see blog http://noonz2018.home.blog – Debunking the Vista Marijuana Poll).
       Candidates who are proponents of Z, state the high cost of closing illegal storefronts in Vista as a justification for legalizing them. The city of San Diego did eventually shut down many illegal storefronts, after approving 17. (get that, 17 approved for San Diego and 11 for Vista, 14% of  their population). However, what occurred was a plethora of illegal black market delivery services (100), which they have not been able to shut down, because they are run from garages or are mobile. The pot industry is the biggest complainers as they are losing out on revenue to the illegal delivery services, that charge less. San Diego is also losing out on tax revenue to the illegal delivery services. Actual enforcement costs shifted from closing illegal storefronts to chasing illegal delivery services, without much success. (see Union Tribune 12/ 16/2017). San Diego head of narcotics said “it took eight years of ups and downs to shrink the number of illegal shops from a high of more than 300 to only two”.  Vista costs can be shifted or even greatly increased, but definitely not eliminated.  Will Z provisions even prevent Vista from enforcing reasonable rules and closing bad dispensaries?
Many view pot as addictive and progressive to the hard stuff. Many see  as a freedom issue, to let people do what they want. If it did not impact the entire city of Vista, I may agree. However, too many just do not know and vote on mailers, signs and with people, they trust on either, without considering the many negative side effects.
70% of the California cities have rejected pot shops. None of Vista’s neighboring cities have approved dispensaries. The experiences of the cities that have approved pot shops are still being played  (see San Diego below).

MEASURE Z DOES THE FOLLOWING:
>Places shops 600 feet from public schools.
>Can put them next door to parks, churches, treatment facilities, and daycare facilities.
>Requires minimum license requirements, making it easier to get a license for pot than for a bakery.
>Limits what the city can do in enforcement, making them under their own control.
>Only requires one parking space, which will negatively impact the neighborhood.
>Allows pot shops on the first floor of a building with apartments above them in mixed use zones.
>Permits felons to own and work in a pot shop if it has been over four years since the felony.
>Can put them next to your house, or in your neighborhood, based on zoning policies.
>Would make Vista a magnet city for the pot users in San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties.
>Allows 18-year-olds to get the pot with a prescription. Many f them are still in high school.

In their mailers, the pot industry classifies these as safe. Sound safe to you? Are you or a member of your family a marijuana user? Are you confident that really bad things won’t happen with eleven pot shops attracting additional traffic and out-of-town users? Do you trust the pot shops to discipline themselves? Do you want your elected representatives to decide by conducting public meeting’s, so you can participate, then vote no on Z? Are you aware that thirty-three percent of edibles fail the state testing standards?  Z does not include testing facilities in Vista.
Can you even consider accepting more pot shops in Vista than there are Starbucks?
I plead with you to vote NO ON Z to keep Vista safe from pot, and all the problems that come with it from inside and from outside.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW, VOTE NO.

If you are still undecided, please go to http:/noonz2018.home.blog and review the following:
>Debunking the Vista Marijuana Poll.
>n the year 2015 if Z is still alive.
>Daily Dose – Measure Z. (nine daily visuals)
>Show Me the Money.
>They’re Back!
>My Mission is Not to Oppose Marijuana.
>Why Vote Against Incumbents in Vista, When Positive Things are Happening?
>The Reasons to Vote for Incumbents in Vista.
>Z in Shadow Ridge.
>What does the medical industry say about marijuana?
>Three biggest reasons to sink Measure Z.

>If you don’t know, Vote No. When you do know, you will vote no.

 

 

Proponents of the marijuana initiative, Measure Z, keep quoting the 1,007 residents who were polled in 2017. The results were 56 percent supporting dispensaries to make marijuana available to medicinal users. However, Measure Z in its current form was not public until after the poll. There have been many iterations of Z until it legally qualified this year for the November ballot.  Those polled did not have access to Measure Z.

What is missing from the proponent’s use of the 2017 poll results, are the qualifying factors that those polled demanded, to get their support for medicinal sales.  Actual copies of the results are inserted below.

What would be their reaction to allowing dispensaries in mixed use zones, on the commercial first floor, with housing units just above the shop?

Location must be 1,000 feet from schools stated 84 percent. What would be their reaction if they knew Prop Z only calls for 600 feet? That is only a 10-15-minute walk.

Dispensaries must be 1,000 feet from a treatment center, indicated 75 percent. What if they knew proposition Z allows dispensaries within 600 feet?

What if they knew that dispensaries could be next-door to parks?

“No residential zone” was required by 77 percent. What if they knew that commercial, industrial, business and mixed-use zones are next door or really close to their residential neighborhoods if Z passes?

Criminal background check necessary for 88 percent. What would they have said if they knew that felons, who committed their crime more than four years ago, could own or work in their local shop?

What would be their reaction if they knew the city was going to propose Measure BB, allowing three delivery facilities to meet medicinal needs?

What if they knew how limited the cities enforcement will be if Z passes? Very small fines are stated in the proposition and it exempts compliance with city ordinances.

What if they knew that getting rid of a bad operator may take a citizen vote?

Did they know that there are no setback requirements for dispensaries from sidewalks?

Did they know that once permitted, the city would have little control over the operation of the dispensary?

Applicants can get a license by meeting minimum requirements, ignoring other requirements defined in the Vista General Plan and city ordinances.

The poll was not taken with these important facts on the table, therefore it is invalid. It was just a general “feeling” poll, mostly centered on compassion for medicinal users, many who are terminally ill or in great pain.

What if those polled knew that 20 percent of marijuana products failed potency testing, especially edibles, which have seen a 33 percent rejection rate (UT page A5 9/12/18), and with unacceptable levels of pesticides, solvents and bacteria, including salmonella. (State Bureau of Cannabis Control). THC, the psychoactive chemical that causes the high, is not tested now for harmful species of mold and yeast.

What if the poll asked the complete and accurate question this way?

“Do you support 11 marijuana store fronts in your neighborhood, next to your residence, 600 feet from schools, next to parks, and next to churches, which can be manned by felons, can be in mixed-use apartments, that create parking issues, with very little local enforcement control, with compliance extremely difficult to enforce  and with unreliable testing results?”  That is the real Z.

What would they have voted if the following was included?

“Or do you support three highly controlled delivery locations, determined through public meetings, for delivery to medically qualified users, with three local testing facilities to ensure high quality and safety”?

This is BB. Z does not have any testing facilities. BB does.  (See blog on state testing results). It does provide access to medical users but it is bad for Vista.

How will you vote? It all depends on you for our future to protect our kids and neighborhoods. You now know what is in Measure Z.

Garry

 

 

Slick pamphlets were sent through the USPS. Glossy door hangers were delivered right to us.  Signs are posted along roadways all over Vista.  Robo-calls are probably next.

Where is the money coming from to fund $20-70K? Where are the Vista Residents?      The groups are from Palm Springs, Oceanside and Malibu, according to the flyers. What does that tell you? Can you be swayed by  advertising?

What about the safety of our kids?   What about home values?  What about retaining and attracting jobs?   What about being the magnet for San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties?  What about them telling the city how to regulate and enforce operating rules?  What about the parking problems dispensaries will create?

Vote NO on Z!

 

They delivered slick door hangers today, on top of last week’s slick mailers, proclaiming misleading information.  How much is the weed industry going to spend?  Today’s  mailers were paid for by Jdau Management of Oceanside.  Their site lists that they have been in business for three years, have four employees, have an annual revenue of $201,100.  Is the CEO, Jason Griffith a Vista resident? Are they just a front for the pot or cigarette industry?   Last weeks mailer was from Palm Springs. Where is the Vista connection behind all of the money?

Misleading statements

protect Our Kids by Prohibiting Dispensaries Near Schools and Youth Centers.  Measure Z allows them within 500 feet of a school.  Is that protecting kids?

place a limit on the total number of medical dispensaries.  That number is 11 based on present population! That could mean 11 in South Vista business park, as long as they were 500 feet apart, or it could mean two by each high school, one by the transit center and one by the skate parks.

prohibiting dispensaries in residential areas.  The distance is 600 feet away.  That is about ten minutes walk from your neighborhood. Is that far enough to make you feel safe and out of the reach of negative real estate impacts?

providing Millions in revenue.   And what will be the additional cost for policing and enforcement.  The net will probably be negative. Besides, is the safety and well-being of your family for sale?  Is protecting the value of your property important?

only medical cannabis dispensaries.  Sure thing, at first. How long before another measure is paid for by the industry to make them recreational?  Next election?  Will recreational use cause the underground illegal dispensaries to pop up?

the 8000 people who signed the petition did not have the full measure in front of them. The total measure is 25 pages long.  Did you read it or review the City Attorney’s impartial analysis?  Are you voting on anecdotal information?

1.The measure on the ballot is five lines and includes “until ended by the voters”.  We would need an election to end it, not by petitioning our elected representatives.

2-The measure states that dispensaries would be located in commercial, industrial park and mixed use zoning.  Look at the city zoning map and see how close to you these could be.   They do not tell you where they could be.

3.Did the signers of the measure know the measure limits city control? According to the City Attorney’s impartial analysis, “once licensed, no criminal or public nuisance action can be initiated against a licensed dispensary operating within the limited rules set by the initiative ordinance”.  They set their own rules in the measure, if passed.

4-The measure would only require one parking space, while the city would require 5 for this type of commercial enterprise.  Your neighborhood would give up valuable parking.

5-The city would be “required to issue a certificate of occupancy and business license to a marijuana dispensary if it meets its minimum requirements….. All of the other business license’s have protections based on the license, not minimum consumer and neighbor protections.

6-“The city would be prohibited from imposing any additional operating requirements on the businesses.”  This according to Our City Attorney. 

7-The rules would allow a dispensary to operate from 9 A. M. to 10 P. M. daily.

8-An individual would be eligible to own or to work at a marijuana dispensary if the individual has not been convicted of a felony or if the felony convictions are more than four years old.

9-The store fronts would have no minimum distance from sidewalks.

A “NO” vote means you do not want to authorize at lease eleven storefront medical marijuana dispensaries in Vista, based on the current city population, and you do not want the industry to set the rules.   If you want to be part of any decision-making, a “NO on Z” vote means you prefer only three delivery stores, such as Measure BB, which would provide access to medical cannabis.

 

 

 

 

 

My goal is to defeat Z, a bad measure for Vista, written and funded by and for the pot people, making billions on the sale of an unproven commodity, with NO input from elected representatives or local residents.

Marijuana, Cannabis, weed, pot, grass, bud, skunk, Mary Jane, and many more names cover for a product without medical research supporting positive results and many studies defining the negative impact on youth and adults.

Put sheep clothing on a wolf and it is still a wolf. Weed is weed!

Some studies and anecdotal evidence suggest marijuana can be used for various medical problems, like pain, nausea and loss of appetite, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.

But a review of the evidence published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found little evidence for marijuana’s ability to treat health conditions outside chronic pain and muscle stiffness from multiple sclerosis.

The federal government doesn’t recognize marijuana’s medical potential, largely because the studies have been small so far, and there have been no large-scale clinical trials proving pot’s medicinal value.

It is estimated that the most successful marijuana stores can average around $400,000 per month in gross sales, while their slowest location averaged about $100,000. So, money talks. That is how they can pay the signature gatherers, campaign supporters, for brochures, for auto phone calls and many other ways to sell voters. (one worker indicated that an organizer-leader boasted that they were willing to spend up to $70,000 in Vista to get it passed).

Is your vote for a very bad measure for sale, with a phone call, a paid supporter at your door, a phone call or a slick-flyer?
Letting the marijuana industry determine their own rules, which Measure Z does, since they wrote it, funded the signature gathering, and is funding the campaign, would be as if the building industry created their own ballot measure XYZ:

MEASURE XYZ
“We the building industry can build where we want, with noted exceptions ,every day 7 AM till 10 PM, with one parking space per apartment, no setback requirements, and no construction restrictions. We commit to build 600 feet from existing schools, parks, churches, and 500 feet from any apartment that already has six stories or higher. We will not be required to do an Environment Impact assessment, Native American grounds review, traffic study or water availability report. There will be no community input (no notices, no big yellow signs, no early design review, no Planning Commission review but mandatory approval from the City Council).

There will be licensing requirements, to include completing an application, paying $5 and knowing how to use a hacksaw. Applicants cannot have a police felony record that is newer than last year and must not have been in prison in the last thirty days.

We do not require compliance with the Vista Master Plan, zoning regulations, or architectural design guidelines, except to never blend candy-apple red, pink and mauve in the same street front.

If a builder does not comply the provisions of this measure, the city can fine them $135 per year. If a builder continually is out of compliance, the city can call for a special election, at their cost, $400,000, to have to voters vote to tear it down.

The taxation will be .005% of what we say is the value of the property, to be used for road repair only. It cannot be used for schools, parks, sheriffs, firemen, infrastructure, senior services or youth services.

Vista code enforcement personnel must provide a written request, sent via certified mail, at least two weeks in advance, to request a site visit. Said request must specifically indicate the reason for the visit, which shall not extend more than 30 minutes.
We believe this is a community service helping provide affordable housing. We believe every income level should be able to live in Shadow Ridge as we rip down small strip shopping centers and build mixed use facilities, but no more than seven total stories high.”

Enough said?

Vote No on Z!

The big billboard on Vista Way and Route 78 proclaimed in 2025: “Welcome to the Marijuana Capital of SOCAL”. In smaller letters it is written, “and the brewery capital too”. In even smaller letters it is written, “get your high here”.

The local front-page news headline is “Vista to add two new sheriffs to fight the rising crime rate” (illegal dispensaries have doubled due to incoming traffic looking for the best deal). The real estate section headline read “Home prices plummet for the third straight year”. The Business section read, “Unemployment climbs as more businesses flee the city.” The education section headline is “graduation rates fall for fourth straight year amid attendance problems, declining enrollment and school closings”. The lead editorial chastises the voters locking in Ballot Measure Z in 2018, preventing the city council from making changes that are in the community’s best interest. The previous election measures to reverse Z failed due to the incredible financial backing of the marijuana industry, as they know a good thing for them. The residents are left between a rock and a hard place, amid an uncontrollable problem and a declining community. Some have suggested bringing in the National Guard, but the marijuana-paid-for Governor refuses. By the way, street traffic has continually increased, with mostly weed buyers getting their stuff, not buying anything else and returning to Orange County and destinations throughout San Diego County. With store fronts open 9 AM to 10 PM, rush hour is worse than 2018.

How did this happen? Parents did not educate themselves about the potential impact on teens of ” medical marijuana sales, evolving into recreational sales” before voting for Z! They listened to the expensive weed industry campaign, instead of doing their homework. They neglected to listen to The American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, The Food and Drug Administration, The North Coastal Prevention Coalition and other legit warnings about the impact of marijuana usage by teens. They were heavily influenced by a poll, paid by the city, which boasted that 56% of residents supported store fronts, but ignored the qualifying issues like location, security, compliance and background checks that caused them to vote yes. They instead bought the line that a few “medical marijuana” users needed 11 dispensaries. But most of the store fronts ended up close to middle and high schools, transit centers, skate parks, and several strip malls in Shadowridge.

The other failure was by apathetic voters, who did not show up to vote, or did not even know the difference between AA, BB, or Z, when they voted, while some just saw dollar signs of new revenue coming into the city.

Residents in 2018 were more concerned with the general election, sanctuary city status, expanding housing construction, traffic congestion, and homelessness in parks, not about some strange “ballot initiatives”. But now, with a declining population back to the 2010 level, vacant properties in every neighborhood, many of them illegally occupied by the homeless, crime on the rise, recreation programs reduced, senior services cut to the bone, and roads in deplorable condition, the residents are protesting and demanding that Mayor Black do something. The marijuana sales added revenue the first year of Z, but them other revenues started to decline as local companies moved, jobs were lost, and the net income of the city decreased to the 2009 level. The reserve fund was long ago spent to keep ambulance and sheriff services.

Let’s roll back to 2018 and what should we do to prevent the above from becoming a reality: Vote no on Z, yes on AA and yes or no on BB, depending on whether you want three delivery services for the medically needy along with three testing facilities.

Be an educated voter? It all depends on you!

Inaction by you means you do not care if Vista is a magnet for the bad elements surrounding being the dispensary for all of San Diego and Orange Counties.

GGG